Three bills pending as budget session nears end

With less than a week left for the budget session of the Assembly to conclude, the BJP-Shiv Sena government is yet to pass three important bills, raising concerns over the bills being passed in a hurry without detailed discussions.

One of the pendinng bills is the newly-drafted one to regulate the functioning of dance bars in Maharashtra.

While the Supreme Court has given the green signal to open dance bars, the government has announced its intent to not let bars run; the opposition, too, on its side.

The government will be bringing the bill in the state council first on Monday, and going by the prevailing mood, it is likely to be passed without much opposition.

The draft of the bill was passed by a 25-member committee of all party MLAs and MLCs.

According to sources, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is adamant on the bill and is even ready to take on the judiciary, if required. The clauses in the draft are stringent to such a level that no owner will either find it easy or economical to open dance bars.

From Monday, the Assembly will discuss a new bill on universities. The bill, if cleared, will pave the way for students’ elections to be held again in colleges in the state. The student elections were cancelled in early 1990s, after a student union activist was murdered on a college campus.

Despite announcing it repeatedly, the government has kept the bill against caste panchayats pending. Mr Fadnavis and Minister of State for Home RAM Shinde have repeatedly spoken in favour of this bill and even the opposition hasn’t raised its voice against it till now.

The government will also have to prepare to face onslaught from the opposition on issues such as the alleged scam of Rs 297 crore in the Public Health Department.

“The government has maintained silence over all allegations of corruption. But I will expose this with all papers,” said the leader of opposition in the council, Dhananjay Munde.

Since the Congress is likely to be busy with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Mumbai on Tuesday, the opposition will not be in a great strength on first two days of the week.

Govt will have to face the heat on the alleged Rs 297 cr Public Health Department scam