Oppn boycotts Maha CM's tea party over Ahmednagar incident

Opposition parties on Sunday boycotted the customary tea party hosted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on the eve of beginning of the monsoon session of state Legislature over the gang-rape and murder of a minor girl in Ahmednagar district.

While the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil demanded resignation of Fadnavis, who heads Home ministry, on “moral grounds” over the incident, the Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde asked for a high-level inquiry into the incident.

“We have a chief minister who also holds Home portfolio.  He refuses to acknowledge that law and order situation in the state is deteriorating under his tenure. He did not even have time to go and visit the bereaved family. He should immediately take moral responsibility and resign,” Vikhe Patil said.

Alleging “laxity” on the part of police officials in arresting the accused, the NCP leader Munde sought “fast track hearing of the case and capital punishment for the accused”.

The 15-year-old girl was brutally raped and murdered allegedly by three men in Kopardi village on Wednesday. All the accused have been arrested by police.

Appearing unfazed Fadnavis said he had “never seen an Opposition without any issues”. Slamming the Congress and NCP for the criticism over the rising price of Tur dal, he said the Opposition did not read the government’s proposed Price Control Order (PCO), which he said specifically mentions that the maximum price of Tur dal shall not exceed Rs 120 per kg.

“Earlier, there has been 125 per cent increase in area under sowing of pulses, cereals and oilseeds. The government will distribute Tur dal to the poor under BPL category through ration card,” Fadnavis told reporters at ‘Sahyadri’ state guest house here.

He evaded a direct reply on his war of words with Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde who was recently divested of Water Conservation portfolio in a cabinet rejig.

“We both know how to use twitter,” he said. Munde, sulking after the portfolio was taken out fromher by Fadnavis, had refused to participate in a global water leaders’ meet in Singapore by virtue of ‘not being Water Conservation Minister’ anymore. In his tweet, Fadnavis had prodded Munde to attend the event.