Maharashtra Oppn raises slogans against Shinde govt before monsoon session

Just before the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature began, the opposition parties raised slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led state government on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan

Just before the monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature began on Wednesday, the opposition parties raised slogans against the Eknath Shinde-led state government on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan here.

Led by Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar, the leaders from the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Congress and other allies shouted slogans against the government over farmers' issues. Some members of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, including MLA Aaditya Thackeray, also took part in the sloganeering.

Some opposition members were seen holding placards that questioned the legitimacy of the Shinde-Fadnavis government.

"This government has ignored the plight of farmers who lost their crops due to excess rains. The government's legitimacy is also in doubt and being debated legally," an opposition leader said from the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex in south Mumbai.

Aaditya Thackeray said, There are no two groups of Shiv Sena in Maharashtra legislative assembly. There is one group that is with Uddhav Thackeray while the rest are traitors.

This government is not even legitimate. The way the speaker of the assembly was appointed, many rules and traditions of the legislator have been violated, he said.

The monsoon session, which began at 11 am on Wednesday, will conclude on August 25.

The Opposition has been targeting the Shinde-led government, claiming that it was "unconstitutional".

Ajit Pawar had said the way the government came to power, it is our unanimous view that the Shinde government has not been formed as per the stipulated constitutional regulations.

"The Supreme Court verdict on the petitions regarding it is pending. The government has been formed against all democratic values and rules," he said.

Among other things, the opposition has demanded that the government declare a wet drought in the state, citing that crops in more than 15 lakh hectares of land have been damaged due to excess rainfall in July and August.