Mumbai, Jul 17 (PTI) The ruling BJP-led Mahayuti alliance has fostered a culture of violence, misgovernance and corruption, turning Maharashtra into a “20 percent commission” state, Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said in the legislative assembly on Thursday.
Speaking during the Opposition-sponsored `last week discussion’ of the monsoon session, he said while ‘koyta gangs’ (street gangs wielding `koyta’ knives) wreaked havoc in Pune, the ruling party now has its own “chaddi banian gang” who resort to violence if things do not go their way.
He was referring to a recent incident where Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Gaikwad, while in his `banian’ or vest, slapped and punched a canteen employee at the MLA Hostel for serving stale food.
Wadettiwar asked if, going by the same logic, public servants should be assaulted for poor food service. “If buses are in poor condition, should the transport minister be beaten up? Should ministers responsible for substandard hospitals or construction face the same treatment?” the Congress leader said.
“Maharashtra was once known for its culture and dignity. Today, the state is identified with farmer suicides and drug trafficking,” he said, noting that narcotics worth over Rs 21,000 crore were seized in the state recently. “This is just the tip of the iceberg,” Wadettiwar said.
He also raised the issue of the `custodial’ death of Somnath Suryawanshi, arrested during protests in Parbhani. He allegedly died due to respiratory illness, as claimed by the government, but a court later directed police to register an FIR over his death, the Congress leader said, asking what action the government would take.
The state lost revenue of Rs 700 crore due to unauthorised laying of over 700 km of optical fiber cables in Mumbai by private companies, Wadettiwar alleged, demanding a thorough investigation.
Government tenders are being manipulated and “no work gets done without 20 percent commission,” he claimed, accusing the government of remaining silent on irregularities in teacher recruitment through the `Shalarth’ portal, where Rs 30 lakh were allegedly taken from every teaching job aspirant. “Despite this, no action has been taken against any school administrator. Nilesh Waghmare, believed to be the key operator, is absconding due to political protection from a cabinet minister,” Wadettiwar alleged.
Jayant Patil of the NCP (SP) said domestic violence cases were on rise in Maharashtra, and on average 32 women face domestic violence every day.
Despite the perception of social progress, dowry-related harassment and domestic abuse of married women remains a serious concern in the state including in cities such as Mumbai and Pune, he said.
Over the past three-and-a-half years, nearly 40,000 cases related to domestic violence, including those under Indian Penal Code section 498A which deals with `cruelty by a husband or his relatives’ have been registered, said Patil, a former home minister.
A prominent Nashik-based leader recently joined the ruling alliance only six months after facing sharp criticism from the same party, the NCP(SP) leader said, apparently referring to Sudhakar Badgujar who joined the BJP.
In the previous assembly session, the same leader was accused of connections with the underworld and attending parties with Salim Kutta, a known associate of fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim, Patil said. PTI MR KRK
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