Maharasthra Assembly: Ajit Pawar targets govt over Ministers’ absence; Fadnavis apologises

The issue cropped up after the Maharashtra Assembly, which is having its Budget session, resumed its proceedings for the day at 11 am

Leader of Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Ajit Pawar on March 15 lashed out at the State Government over the absence of Ministers during the special sitting of the House due to which seven of the eight calling attention notices had to be postponed.

This elicited an apology from Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.

A calling attention notice allows House members to bring the attention of a Minister to a matter of urgent public importance. The issue cropped up after the Assembly, which is having its Budget session, resumed its proceedings for the day at 11 am.

As soon as Speaker Rahul Narvekar took up the Question Hour, an agitated Ajit Pawar said that in the “special sitting today, eight calling attention notices were listed but just one, related to tourism, could be taken up for discussion because only that Minister concerned was present. The rest had to be postponed due to the absence of other Ministers”, he said.

“This is the height of shamelessness when Ministers do not take legislative business seriously. They want to become Ministers but won’t do the work concerning their departments,” said Mr. Pawar pointing out that even Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil was absent.

On March 14, Mr. Pawar said, the House which is currently debating the Budget proposals concluded its sitting post midnight at 1 am (on March 15). Still, all MLAs from the treasury and opposition benches whose calling attention notices were listed in the special sitting came to the House, said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader.

Expressing regret over the absence of Ministers in the State Assembly during the special sitting due to which seven of the eight calling attention notices had to be postponed on March 15, Deputy Chief Minster Devendra Fadnavis said all Ministers will be told to be present when issues concerning their departments are taken up in the legislature.