Congress scored in first week, NCP dominates the second

The Winter Session of the Legislative Assembly, which has concluded, saw an aggressive performance by the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party in the Upper House, while the differences between them and poor floor management were exposed on several issues in the Lower House.

Roughly speaking, Congress made its mark during the first week whereas the second week was completely dominated by the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde.

The Congress organised a huge protest against the BJP-Shiv Sena ruling alliance on the second day of the Winter Session in Nagpur.

“We succeeded in gathering people and farmers against the government who were distressed by price hike in essential commodities including Tur dal while farmers are disappointed by natural calamities, lack of market for their yield and ignorance by the state government,” said Sanjay Dutt, whip of the Congress.

“It will be a challenge for both opposition parties to keep up the tempo that was created in the Winter Session till the next session that is scheduled from March 9 in Mumbai,” Mr Dutt said.

According to senior NCP leaders, it was a part of their strategy not to allow ministers to give replies on allegations of corruption raised by Mr Munde. Accusing the government of corruption running into hundreds of crores, Mr Munde had demanded the resignation of five BJP ministers Eknath Khadse, Girish Bapat, Vinod Tawde, Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Vishnu Savara.

Mr Munde was supported by former deputy chief minister and NCP leader Ajit Pawar.

The ruling BJP is also worried by the huge crowd that gathered in the morcha conducted by the Congress against the “failures” of the government.

A senior BJP minister on condition of anonymity agreed that “it means something is wrong in the state government and we are not working according to the expectations of the people.”

The chief minister, on the other hand, has said the focus of his government is on giving relief to the drought-hit farmers.

The Congress maintained the tempo of its protest in the first week of the Session.

However, it failed to secure the relief package for drought-hit farmers from the government that it was demanding.

In the Lower House, former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan raised specific points over the Prime Minister’s pet smart city project and forced the chief minister to clarify on the issue.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena spokesperson Dr Neelam Gorhe claimed that the NCP is under the assumption that they can mould the BJP according to their will, as the PM and CM alongwith other prominent leaders attended the birthday programme of NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Delhi.