The Hindu Business Line : Sena, BJP try to turn the tables on Cong

Obviously, the BJP-Shiv Sena hopes to whip up the people's anger at poor drought management, so that it can find a continuum when the campaign for the September elections to the Assembly begins.

Mumbai , May 25

WHAT the media missed, the Opposition brought to light in the State legislature in Maharashtra: for the past one week, Mr Sanjay Patil, a Congress local big shot in Tasgaon taluk of Sangli district was on a hunger strike, protesting poor management of the drought in Maharashtra. There were at least 100 who were supporting him and some 32 were already hospitalised due to stress of the fast.

And curiously, three heavyweight Ministers, Mr Patangrao Kadam (Industries), Mr Jayant Patil (Finance) and Mr R.R. Patil (Home) are from Sangli district. And to highlight that was a temptation that the Opposition could not resist.

Once again, therefore, it is drought and politics in Maharashtra.

This was patent when the Shiv Sena-BJP Opposition launched a major assault on the Government in the Legislature yesterday and put it on the defensive, often pointing out that in the just concluded Lok Sabha, the ruling alliance lost because the drought was mismanaged.

And by the day ended, the Government was left on the defensive, promising among other things that the debts raised by the farmers from cooperatives would be rescheduled, that the drought affected who seek jobs at employment guarantee scheme's worksites would be paid wages every 15 days and that the relief would continue till rains were copious.

Those were wrested concessions because the Government on its own, thanks to its preoccupation with the Lok Sabha polls, did not announce but was content blaming the then BJP-led NDA at the Centre for `step-motherly treatment' and thought that it sold this argument to the people.

Obviously, the BJP-Shiv Sena hopes to whip up the people's anger at poor drought management, so that it can find a continuum when the campaign for the September elections to the Assembly begins. They intend to carry from the Lok Sabha-related poll campaign.

Now, the Shiv Sena-BJP opposition is playing a new card. It is asking the State Government to seek aid from the Centre. It is gambling on the single fact that the Centre, just taking positions and studying issues, would not jump to Maharashtra's aid. That would give the two parties to speak of how despite the Congress-led dispensation at the Centre, Maharashtra's Congress-led Government could not cut ice. So, the people should prefer the BJP-Sena.

A long shot, that. But it is something the Opposition is trying to work up a froth on that and it forced the NCP's Leader in the Council, Mr Chagan Bhujbal, to complain that "Opposition was playing politics with drought." But one heard, much to everyone's surprise, both Mr Gopinath Munde (BJP) and Mr Narayan Rane (Shiv Sena), Leader of Opposition, often saying, "we do not intend to bring in politics here."

Opposition listed point after point in its bid to paint the larger, grim picture: water being sold at Rs 15 a pot, cattle not having enough feed, worksites of EGS full of people driven away from the lands because there were no rains, and year after year for four years 11 districts and villages were now emptied out because people migrated wherever they could for jobs.

More Stories on : Politics | Natural Calamities | Maharashtra

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