The budget session of the state assembly starting on Thursday is illegal. So said the leader of opposition Eknath Khadse on Wednesday. To drive home the point, the opposition parties boycotted the customary eve-of-the-session tea party hosted by the government.

Khadse said that the session was illegal because the union government had not yet approved the resources and tools the state had planned to use to raise funds. In a budget session, the government has to submit a plan of the resources and tools through which it is going to raise funds. The plan must get the nod of the union government, before it is submitted in the house, he said. The state government has thrice sent the plan to the Centre for its approval, but is yet to get it. Unless the plan is approved, the session cannot begin.

The government has plans to present the state budget on March 25.

Speaking at a press meet held by the main opposition parties the BJP, the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Khadse accused the state government of being responsible for the bomb blast at German Bakery in Pune. This is not my opinion.

Union home minister P Chidambaram has himself said so. The government has not been able to find the masterminds of the blast even after a month. And nobody is ready to take responsibility for this failure, he said.

He said that action should be initiated against ATS chief KP Raghuvanshi if he had indeed said something which hampered the probe of Pakistans conspiracy to attack Mumbai.

The government has neglected Mumbais problems. There is acute water shortage in the city. There is no rationality in allotting floor space index to the city builders. The government has shamelessly supported the inflation. They have increased the VAT on 46 goods before the start of the session. This attempt to increase taxes at any cost cannot be justified, Khadse said.
Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai said that his party will raise the issue of supplying cheap electricity to Mumbai. The Tata power company has announced that it will sell power in the open market. It means the consumers will have to pay more for electricity. We will oppose the move, he said.

The Vidarbha issue, however, split the BJP and the Sena wide open. While Khadse said that the BJP will demand the formation of Vidarbha state, the Sena asserted that it will oppose the move.

We stand by our policy of formation of small states. We will put in our views, and let the Sena put in theirs. It does not mean that there are differences in our alliance, Khadse said.