The fortnight long winter session of the Maharashtra Legislature which begins in Nagpur from on Wednesday is all set to be a stormy one which will test the leadership of new Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan.
Sixty four-year-old Chavan, a former union minister, took reins of the state in wake of the Adarsh housing controversy that claimed the chair of his predecessor Ashok Chavan, earlier this month.
Even though Mr. Chavan has already got two important projects like the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Jaitapur Nuclear power plant pending with the union Environment ministry cleared, within a fortnight of his assuming charge, his real test would be in facing the Opposition onslaught on various issues like Adarsh housing scam, Lavasa lake city and plight of farmers due to unseasonal rains.
The Chief Minister is not member of either House of the state legislature. He has not yet resigned from his Rajya Sabha membership.
The Opposition has enough ammunition in its hands to take on his government like the Adarsh Housing scam in South Mumbai and the Lavasa lake city project coming up near Pune.
Industries Minister Narayan Rane will be the target of the Shiv Sena attack over allegations of land grabbing in Western Maharashtra. Mr. Rane, who was the Revenue Minister in the previous Ashok Chavan cabinet had decided to levy penalty and regularise the construction at Lavasa.
However, Union Environment Ministry has served a show cause notice to both Lavasa and Adarsh society for violating environment protection and forest conservation acts.
To add to the embarrassment of the government, key papers regarding the Adarsh case have gone missing from the Urban development ministry. An FIR has been lodged and an internal departmental enquiry has also been instituted.
Mr. Chavan had asked his ministers to survey the damages to the crops in north Maharashtra, Konkan and Marathwada to prepare the compensation package.
The session will also be testing time for the Opposition unity especially after the results which will be declared tomorrow.
Differences cropped up between Shiv Sena and Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Eknath Khadse over the recent biennial elections to the Legislative council.
BJP fielded Khadse’s son Nikhil from the Jalgaon local bodies seat while Sena strongman from the district Suresh Jain has thrown his weight behind an independent candidate Manish Jain who is the son of NCP MP Ishwarlal Jain.
Election to the Deputy Speaker’s post will also be held since the incumbent Madhukar Chavan was inducted into the Prithviraj Chavan cabinet.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Patil said the Speaker Dilip Walse—Patil will announce the programme for the Deputy Speaker’s election in the first week itself.
He said the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) has finalised the business for ten days. The next BAC meeting will be held on December 9.
He said 17 bills including the SEZ bill will come up for discussions during the session. He said there are 11 new bills and five pending ones. The supplementary demands would also be passed
