Toughening stance, the Maharashtra Congress here on Wednesday warned the state government to provide equal funds to all its MLAs within two days failing which they would move the court.
Maharashtra unit Congress president Nana Patole and other party legislators called on Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and raised the issue of ‘unfair’ and ‘discriminatory’ treatment in the matter of allocating development funds to the MLAs, announced last week by Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar.
“The ruling alliance MLAs have been allocated funds in excess while the Congress legislators have been given very less amounts, some have not been allotted any funds,” Patole later told mediapersons.
The Congress delegation discussed the issue of ‘unequal’ funds distribution with Shinde and demanded that the development money should be made suitably available for the Congress legislators’ constituencies, besides lifting the moratorium on approved developmental works.
On his part, Shinde has assured the delegation that he would discuss the matter with both the Deputy CMs – Devendra Fadnavis and Pawar – and take a decision. Ajit Pawar’s distribution of development project funds for the legislators has resulted in a lot heart-burn among the Opposition MLAs who have been raising the issue in the legislature and outside.
They have accused Ajit Pawar of ‘discrimination’ by awarding huge chunks of funds for the Bharatiya Janata Party, ruling Shiv Sena and breakaway Nationalist Congress Party, while short-changing the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi legislators of the Congress, NCP (SP) and Shiv Sena (UBT), and other smaller parties. However, the government has denied any inequity on this count while BJP MLAs had made a counter-allegation that during the MVA rule, the then Opposition legislators were starved of requisite funds.
Incidentally, earlier this month, many ruling Shiv Sena legislators had expressed apprehensions that Ajit Pawar’s elevation as Deputy CM and FM would again deprive them of constituency funds. Ajit Pawar’s allocation of funds last week saw some ruling alliance MLAs getting huge amounts for their constituencies and the Opposition legislators reportedly getting very low amounts, leading to an uproar, particularly since the elections are due in the second-half of 2024.
2023072645772
