Mumbai, Aug 17: The ruling combine of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis got a taste of the Opposition Nationalist Congress Party, Congress and Shiv Sena’s dark mood on the opening day of the Monsoon Session of Maharashtra Legislature here on Wednesday.
A majority of the Opposition leaders and legislators staged a vociferous protest on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan, carrying posters and placards, condemning and criticising the government at the start of its maiden legislature test.
As soon as the CM and other Shinde Group MLAs started trooping in, the Opposition legislators greeted them with full-throated rants of – “50 khoke (Rs 50-crore), Ekdum Ok” and “Aala Re, Aala Re, Gaddaar Aala (Here comes the traitor)”.
The opponents were alluding to the alleged suspicions of horse-trading value of each legislator who walked out in June that culminated in the toppling of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by former CM Uddhav Thackeray on June 29, with Shinde-Fadnavis taking the oath on June 30.
They also raised slogans condemning the regime, ‘ED Sarkar, Hai Hai’ (Eknath-Devendra duo) and ‘Gaddaar Sarkar, Hai Hai’, as the Shinde Group and BJP legislators walked by.
The aggressive agitation follows the Opposition’s boycott of the customary session-eve tea-party hosted by Shinde Tuesday evening.
