Nagpur, Dec 8: Uproarious scenes were on Tuesday witnessed in the the Maharashtra Assembly which was adjourned for the day after the Opposition stalled the proceedings accusing the government of failing to effectively tackle the severe drought-like situation in the state and demanding complete loan waiver for affected farmers.
Finding the opposition in no mood to relent after it had forced two adjournments till noon, Speaker Haribhau Bagde adjourned the House for the day.
When the House assembled again after the second adjournment in which the stipulated Question Hour was lost, there was no improvement in the situation as Opposition members stormed the Well of the House shouting slogans, holding placards and throwing pieces of paper in the air.
Amid the din, the Speaker hurriedly transacted the House business and tabled Ordinances before finally adjourning it for the day even as Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil (Congress) and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal grilled the ruling alliance over various issues including farmers’ plight.
The Speaker postponed the Calling attention motions, discussions under rule 293 moved by Sambhaji Patil Nilengekar and 24 others on untimely rains in February-March this year; crop losses and drought in other parts as well as half-and-hour discussion on four-laning of Pune city roads.
Earlier, when the House met for the day, Opposition accused the Maharashtra government of “inept handling” of the drought situation and ignoring plight of farmers and disrupted the proceedings during Question Hour, prompting the Speaker to adjourn the House–first for ten minutes and then for 27 minutes till noon.
Raising the issue, Vikhe Patil raised urged the Speaker to take up their notice under rule 57 to suspend the Question Hour and take up urgent discussion on two serious issues of drought and loan waiver, which the Speaker denied initially.
As the Speaker stood firm on his decision, Opposition members stormed into the well of the House forcing him to adjourn the House for a short while.
When the House got together again, there was no let up in the demands of the Opposition. Besides Vikhe Patil, Jayant Patil of NCP and others too raised the issue.
