No step-motherly treatment to Opposition during monsoon session, assures CM Shinde

Ahead of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday (July 17), the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) on Sunday boycotted the tea party given by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde even as Mr. Shinde called the Opposition’s agenda “confused.”At the same time, the Chief Minister, addressing a press conference flanked by his two Deputy Chief Ministers — the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis and the NCP’s Ajit Pawar — said the tripartite ruling government would do full justice to questions raised by the Opposition leaders.

“The Opposition will not receive step-motherly treatment despite the ruling alliance having more than 210 [of the 288] MLAs on its side,” Mr. Shinde said, remarking that his government had belied persistent speculation of his regime falling and had instead gone from strength to strength after the NCP’s inclusion.  The State is set to witness an atrophied opposition following the recent split within the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) engineered by Mr. Ajit Pawar, who, until recently used to be the Leader of the Opposition (LoP).Both Mr. Ajit Pawar and Mr. Fadnavis assured that despite the government growing in strength with the adhesion of the former’s NCP faction, the ruling party’s power would not be “misused” and that there would be constructive debate in the upcoming session.“We will not stifle the Opposition’s voice. All questions would be sorted in an atmosphere of cordiality. We will ensure that all answers given to questions raised by the Opposition are comprehensive and not vague and superficial,” said Mr. Ajit Pawar.