“The Pessimist Sees Difficulty In Every Opportunity. The Optimist Sees Opportunity In Every Difficulty.”

There are precedents in favour of both arguments. In certain instances, the LoP was recognized even when the opposition did not have the adequate number, which is ten percent of the house strength, as per convention. NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil, while speaking to media in the Vidhan Bhavan premises, read out the list of the previous leaders of opposition from the assembly who were recognized as such though their respective parties had lesser than ten percent MLAs. Some were from the parties that had fewer MLAs than the current strength of the opposition in the house, he pointed out.

However, there is no specific provision and the decision rests with the speaker. Fadnavis has resorted to the same provision, catching the MVA on a wrong foot.

Jadhav said that the legislature secretariat had informed him in writing that there was no numerical criteria about the members’ strength in the house for the opposition to claim the post of LoP. In the assembly election last November, the Maha Yuti alliance won 230 of the 288 assembly seats, while MVA could bag just 46. Hence, it will have to await the speaker’s decision. However, it will use the situation to hit out at the government.

Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde maintained that the government does not underestimate the opposition even if it is not enough members. But he lamented that instead of speaking on issues on the floor of the legislature, opposition leaders were protesting on the stairs of the Vidhan Bhavan complex.

Although considerable time of the house was consumed in political slugfests, important business was transacted. Talking about the business carried out during the session, Fadnavis said the legislature passed 12 bills, including the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal and Other Manual Workers (Regulation of Employment and Welfare) (Amendment) Bill to prevent bogus mathadis (head-loaders and porters) operating in the state.

Another furore erupted over the demand to demolish Mughal emperor Aurangzeb’s tomb at Khulatabad near Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar in Marathwada region. The controversy reached the legislature when Samajwadi party MLA Abu Azmi praised Aurangzeb. He was suspended from attending the session for the remaining duration following a house resolution.

A major issue that rocked the house near the end of the session was comedian Kunal Kamra’s parody song targeting deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde. A breach of privilege motion has been submitted against the stand up performer. Kamra has vowed to continue to harpoon politicians. Already, he has targeted Fadnavis and warned that many more can be on his radar. The issue involves the fundamental right to express and hence has been discussed in parliament, too. As several followers of Shinde have been arrested by the police, the issue will continue to be raised by both sides for some time to come.

Fadnavis and Shinde have maintained after the conclusion of the session that the common man’s welfare will remain the focus of the Maha Yuti government. “The pace of development will not stop. Maharashtra is an industry-friendly state and tops the list of the states with maximum number of start-ups, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” they said.

Dismissing speculation that he was unhappy in the three-party NDA regime, Shinde asserted that the government is working in a speedy manner. It is following the ‘no reason, only spot decision’ ideology. Those who gave lame reasons and did not take any decision have been sent home by the people, Shinde said, taunting his one-time boss Uddhav Thackeray.

In retaliation, MVA has claimed that it was for the first time in the history of Maharashtra that the ruling party was trying to create ruckus and disrupt business of the house. Former speaker and Congress leader Nana Patole was particularly aggressive. He said, “Farmers’ loan waiver was promised during the assembly poll campaign. But now the government is  saying they will have to verify whether a waiver can be implemented or not.” Jitendra Awhad of the NCP (SP) alleged that non issues were being used for making into issues to divert attention from core challenges such as unemployment,  price hike and collapsing law and order situation.

Jadhav has endorsed the grievance. He said, “Nine bills were adopted, but one needs to find how much time was given to discuss them. The session was spread over 16 days and 147 hours. But how much was the time allocated for constructive business  and discussion of the Bills?” Jadhav charged that the massive mandate for the ruling coalition was being used to silence the opposition.

However, Fadnavis and Shinde have dismissed MVA’s claims, both in the house and in media interactions. “The opposition was not interested in discussions. They only were seen at the entrance of the assembly shouting slogans against the government. But, never participated in actual business,” Shinde said.

Fadnavis made it clear that despite having a massive mandate, the proceedings of the legislature were conducted as per norms. “The session time was not curtailed. We tried solving different issues through discussions,” he stated. The CM also claimed that on an average, six-and-a-half hours of work is expected daily in the session, but this time the average daily time of the House was nine hours.

The March 17 violence in Nagpur following the demand for the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb led to heated exchanges between the treasury benches and opposition over the law and order situation. The tragic death of celebrity manager Disha Salian in 2020 also figured in the proceedings of both houses after her father moved the Bombay High Court seeking a probe against Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray and others. BJP MLA Ram Kadam raised the matter of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death and subsequent developments. He demanded an investigation by an SIT probing the death of Salian, who was the former manager of Rajput. The common thread in all these matters is that they occurred in the past.

There is criticism that the issues which are not relevant to the common man are taking up more time of the house than they deserve. Similarly, protocol and the practice of respecting house conventions need to be given a serious thought as Maharashtra legislature was once described as a model house of people.