Premium
This is an archive article published on December 21, 2022

Simmering border dispute to CM under attack: What went down in Maharashtra today

State minister Shambhuraj Desai warns Karnataka it may have to rethink supplying water from its dams during the dry season if ‘irresponsible comments’ continue; Opposition tries to corner Eknath Shinde in the legislature over alleged NIT scam.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath ShindeMaharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde
Listen to this article
Simmering border dispute to CM under attack: What went down in Maharashtra today
x
00:00
1x 1.5x 1.8x

The border dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka and the Maha Vikas Aghadi’s (MVA) continued attempts to corner Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over an alleged scam were the two most important political developments in Maharashtra on Wednesday.

Amid the tension in border areas of the two states, state minister Shambhuraj Desai said if Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai did not stop making “irresponsible comments”, Maharashtra would have to rethink water supply from its dams to the neighbouring state. Desai and his Cabinet colleague Chandrakant Patil are the nodal ministers to coordinate with the state government’s legal team on a court case on the border dispute.

The Karnataka legislature has reiterated the stand that the border issue is a settled one, and not an inch of land will be given to the neighbouring state. On Tuesday, Bommai said during an Assembly debate asserted the stand.

Story continues below this ad
Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) MLAs raise slogans during a protest against the state government on the second day of the Winter Session of Maharashtra Assembly, in Nagpur. (PTI Photo/File)

“Even Maharashtra can reply in the same language and he should not provoke us,” Desai told reporters in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in Nagpur, adding that Maharashtra was maintaining patience and the Karnataka CM should keep in mind that the southern state is very much dependent on water supply from the Koyna and Krishna dams during the dry season in March and April.

“If Karnataka does not stop (making such statements), then Maharashtra will have to rethink over the water being supplied to the neighbouring state,” the minister added.

The border dispute is one issue on which both the ruling coalition and the Opposition agree and keeping the issue simmering helps them shore up their credentials among their vote banks. In Delhi, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and MP Sanjay Raut told reporters, “The way China has invaded (Indian territory), we will do the same in Karnataka. We do not need anyone’s permission to do so.”

Opposition raises ‘NIT scam’ issue

Meanwhile, for the second straight day, the Opposition continued to raise the demand for CM Shinde’s resignation over the alleged Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) scam. After Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar stopped the Opposition from discussing the Teacher Eligibility Test (TET) scam as the matter was sub judice, it pointed out that Shinde had been allowed to make a statement on the NIT row even though that matter was also before the judiciary.

The other key developments from the legislature:

Story continues below this ad
  • The legislative council also witnessed heated exchanges between the ruling alliance and the Opposition after the latter continued to press the demand for a discussion on the alleged NIT scam. The commotion led to the adjournment of the council thrice.
  • No OPS: In the Assembly, Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis, who holds the finance portfolio declared that the state is not going back to the old pension scheme, which has become a political rallying point for the Congress in many states, including Himachal Pradesh which it recently won.
  • The Assembly initiated a discussion on the Rs 52,000-crore-plus supplementary demands, one of the biggest in the recent past.
  • The issue of Cabinet ministers sharing responsibilities was also highlighted in the Assembly, with the Opposition objecting to ministers of different departments replying to questions. The government termed it as the Cabinet’s “collective responsibility” and pointed out that CM Shinde had shared the responsibilities of his departments with his Cabinet colleagues for the duration of the legislative session.

Latest Comment
Post Comment
Read Comments
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement