Nagpur.
The day Winter Session of Maharashtra Legislature got off to a start on December 8 the Question Hour in Legislative Assembly was being mocked by MLAs from Nagpur and Vidarbha as well by raising negligible issues. On Thursday (December 18), a total of 36 questions were listed in the Question Hour. Out of the 36 questions, four were of State-level, two related to Vidarbha and none for Nagpur District.
The Winter Session is held in the Second Capital in accordance with the Nagpur Pact. But surprisingly, the issue of separate Vidarbha is missing. Not even a murmur of the so-called Vidarbha Statehood demand. The burning issues related to Nagpur District have vanished with no mention at all since the Session began. The questions raised during the Question Hour so far smacked of any significant questions on Vidarbha issues. Only 10-12 percent questions related to Vidarbha region, that too of insignificance, figured in the Question Hour rest being (75 percent) of State-level.
Moreover, the Winter Session witnessed only 10-12 MLAs, out of a total of 62 MLAs from Vidarbha, raising some issues. The Ministers from Vidarbha have conveniently forgotten, or say skipped, the separate Vidarbha issue. If any Ruling Party MLA ‘dares’ to raise the issue, he or she is silenced by concerned minister by doling out ‘empty assurance.’ Congress MLA Yashomati Thakur was found active and frequently raising one or the other issue. NCP an Shiv Sena members prefer to be ‘silent spectators.’ MLAS from Nagpur District have emerged a worst lot. Krishna Khopde, Sudhakar Deshmukh, Sameer Meghe, Sudhir Parve, Dr Ashish Deshmukh, Mallikarjun Reddy, to name a few remain absent from House proceedings or keep quiet maximum time.
The bottom line is: The Winter Session for Vidarbha for the people of Vidarbha is being mocked by Vidarbha MLAs by their “own style.”
Representational pic
