Opposition should think before they talk: Shinde

Referring to the remark by leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, on crime rate in Maharashtra, Fadnavis who also holds the Home portfolio, said, “One should know to read NCRB (National Crime Records Bureau) data. The Opposition needs to be given training on analysing it. Wadettiwar said that Maharashtra is Number 2 on the list of states with highest number of crimes in the country but if we consider the population, we stand at number 8. We also stand far behind the other states in other crimes.”

Responding to the Opposition’s allegations that the debt of the state is increasing, Deputy CM and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar said that the state was following economic discipline.

“The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was around Rs 16 lakh crore in 2013 and it will be Rs 38 lakh crore in 2023-2024. This year we will be taking a loan of Rs 80,000 crore. We have followed economic discipline by ensuring that the loan amount is 3 per cent of the total GSDP of the state,” Pawar said.

Talking about the Maratha quota demand, he said his government will grant quota to the community but at the same time will not hurt the rights of the OBCs and other communities.

Fadnavis also said that due to Cyclone Michaung, rain is expected in Vidarbha for the next three days. “The administration has been instructed to provide necessary relief on war-footing to the farmers who have been affected by the unseasonal rain,” Fadnavis said.