The Maharashtra legislature’s budget session has concluded amidst a cascade of political allegations and counter-charges, giving ample indications that the battle will not subside any time soon. The main criticism against both sides of the house is that the issues which are not relevant to the common man have taken up more time in the house than they deserve. Similarly, all the three incidents that rocked the legislature repeatedly are old, except for the Nagpur violence. Maharashtra legislature was once described as a model house but of late, incidents of overlooking protocol and foul language in front of television cameras have been occurring frequently. The session was marred by the ruckus over the demand for demolition of Aurangzeb’s tomb. The Opposition tried to corner chief minister Devendra Fadnavis over the thorny issue but could not dent his argument that the tomb was declared as a protected monument by the Congress government long ago. The Opposition also failed to bring the government to its knees over its inability to raise the monthly allowance of Ladki Bahin Yojana from Rs 1,500 to Rs 2,100. The other stormy issue was the tragic death of Disha Salian since the name of Aaditya Thackeray was time and again attempted to be linked with her end. However, Uddhav Thackeray dismissed a question regarding the matter in a few words but the ruling side seems to be determined to highlight the issue at every available opportunity.
