Maha legislature: Oppn members stage demonstration, accuse Shinde govt of corruption

Opposition members staged a demonstration by taking out a foot march like ‘warkaris’ in the Maharashtra legislature complex on Tuesday and accused the Eknath Shinde-led state government of indulging in corruption.

On Monday, both Houses of the Maharashtra legislature were adjourned for the day after the opposition stalled the proceedings demanding Agriculture Minister Abdul Sattar’s resignation over a land ‘regularisation’ order passed by him when he was a minister in the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court last week issued a notice to Sattar who had ordered ‘regularisation’ of the possession of land reserved for public ‘gairan’ (grazing) in favour of a private person in the face of a civil court order.

Earlier, the opposition members had also demanded Chief Minister Shinde’s resignation after a Nagpur bench of the HC on December 14 ordered status quo on a decision taken by him of allotment of land meant for slum dwellers to private persons when he was a minister in the previous Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA.

Shinde had denied any wrongdoing and the HC on December 22 accepted the withdrawal of the order of regularisation issued by the CM recently and observed it was treating the matter as closed.

On Tuesday, opposition members led Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Ambadas Danve took out a foot march in the Vidhan Bhavan complex like ‘warkaris’ do while setting out on a pilgrimage to a temple of Lord Vitthal in Pandharpur town.

They rang bells and chanted slogans, accusing CM Shinde and some state ministers including Sattar of indulging in corruption.

Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Ajit Pawar, Shiv Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray, Congress leader Nana Patole and others joined the demonstration.