Mumbai, March 16 (IANS) Congress Legislative Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday alleged that the Mahayuti government is biased, claiming that funds allocated in the budget have been given exclusively to MLAs from the ruling alliance while opposition legislators have been left out.
Participating in a discussion on the departmental budget in the state Assembly, Wadettiwar said that while funds had been provided for roadworks in the constituencies of ruling party MLAs, opposition MLAs had received nothing.
“Is this what ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ looks like?” he asked.
Wadettiwar said that roads in the constituencies of ruling MLAs are being improved, but the moment those constituencies end the roads become dilapidated, forcing people to navigate pothole-ridden stretches.
He demanded that opposition MLAs should not be excluded from the allocation of funds and should receive their due share.
He further said that roads across the state are in poor condition and contractors have not been paid their previous dues.
With Rs 62,000 crore in outstanding bills, contractors have warned of launching a strike from April 6.
Wadettiwar also raised concerns over an alleged Rs 250 crore QR code scam in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
He claimed that contractors siphoned off crores of rupees using QR codes without carrying out any actual work.
“Are the ministers even paying attention to this?” he questioned.
Highlighting what he described as the dire state of the Tribal Development Department, Wadettiwar alleged that tribal funds are being diverted to the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme.
“Tribal children did not receive funds for uniforms for an entire year, and orders were placed only at the end of March. Out of the Rs 4,349 crore allocated for social security and welfare in the Tribal Development Department, a staggering Rs 3,416 crore has been diverted to the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme. Depriving tribal children of facilities to implement other schemes is an act of injustice,” he said.
Wadettiwar accused the government of strangling educational institutions due to political animosity.
He cited the example of action taken against Nitesh Karale’s Phoenix Career Development Academy, alleging that the institution was investigated and shut down simply because Karale had campaigned against a tribal minister’s daughter in local body elections.
“Action is being taken against well-functioning institutions out of sheer political revenge, which is harming students. Is this a democracy or a dictatorship?” he asked.
He also condemned the practice of making students clean toilets in tribal hostels, calling it “extremely shameful” and demanding action against the management.
Wadettiwar further criticised the BJP for going back on its 2014 promise of creating a separate Vidarbha state.
He noted that the government plans to spend Rs 1,000 crore on a new Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur.
He argued that if the project is expected to be completed by 2028, it suggests the government has no intention of creating a separate Vidarbha.
According to him, this goes against former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s vision of “smaller states” and amounts to a betrayal of the people of Vidarbha.
Wadettiwar also said that wages in Maharashtra’s cement industry are significantly lower compared to Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh, leading to the exploitation of workers.
Referring to preparations for the Kumbh Mela, he alleged that substandard work has been detected in several projects.
He took a swipe at the government, claiming that while the Divisional Commissioner is attempting to take action, ministers are shielding the engineers responsible.
--IANS
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