The two-day Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that begins Monday is expected to be stormy with the opposition BJP readying to raise the ante against the Maha Vikas Aghadi government over the quashing of two important caste quotas, for Marathas in jobs and education, and OBCs in local bodies, by the Supreme Court in the last three months, and the decision of the ruling coalition to put off yet again the election of Speaker. The linking of Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and former Home Minister Anil Deshmukh to money laundering cases being investigated by the Enforcement directorate is also likely to resonate in the House. To counter the BJP, the Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government is planning to bring a raft of resolutions, including one seeking empirical data of OBCs in the state from the Centre, another demanding immediate action by the Centre on the Maratha quota, a third opposing the Centre’s three farm laws. Sources in the government said that more than 20 decisions, including on the resolutions, were taken up at the cabinet meeting chaired by the CM. “Resolutions on seeking empirical data on OBCs from Centre and asking it to take immediate steps on Maratha quota will be passed in the session. The Maratha quota resolution will state the measures that will be taken by the government for the Maratha community,” said a cabinet minister, requesting anonymity. The minister further said the decisions on bringing the resolutions were taken in the backdrop of the opposition’s plan to rake up some of these issues to corner the government. “A resolution against the Centre’s three farm laws will also be moved in the state legislature. A decision on tabling the three farm law amendment bills will be taken tomorrow in a meeting,” the minister added. Thackeray, who chaired the cabinet meeting that went on for almost three hours, did not address the media after the cabinet meeting. However, Sena and NCP ministers downplayed this break with convention stating that the media had left by the time the cabinet meet ended. “The CM will speak in the legislature,” said the Sena minister. But against the backdrop of the investigation by central agencies in various alleged irregularities connected with the senior leaders of the MVA, and Sena’s apparent softening towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi from the time Thackeray had a one-on-one meeting with him in Delhi last month, the decision to avoid the media has triggered speculation. Another cabinet minister said the death by suicide of a Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) aspirant was also discussed in the state cabinet. “The candidates were shortlisted for the interview process but there was a court stay on it which is why the further process was delayed. The government will a make statement on the issue in the House,” the minister added. The government will table the supplementary demands in this session. The government has also proposed to bring five Bills in the Monsoon Session that includes one proposing an amendment to the Maharashtra (Urban Areas) Protection and Preservation of Trees Act, 1975, for the protection of heritage trees in the state with others.
