MUMBAI: The members of the Opposition raised objection over the appointment of Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil as a minister on the first day of the assembly session here on Monday. Some even booed him for being a turncoat with slogans like “Aaya Ram Gaya Ram Jai Shri Ram”.
Just as the house was about to gather for business the Opposition MLAs staged a protest and criticized the BJP-led state government over the cabinet expansion and for being “anti-people”.In a sarcastic jibe senior NCP member Ajit Pawar urged CM Fadnavis not to take away the leader of opposition designates Vijay Wadettiwar from the opposition.
The Cong-NCP led the opposition in both the houses of the state legislature raised an objection to Vikhe-Patil being sworn-in as a minister arguing that Vikhe-Patil could not be inducted into the state cabinet in the same term as he was not a member of either house of the state legislature and hence could not take oath as a minister.
Pawar said during the first session in 2014 the government had inducted then leader of opposition Eknath Shinde into the state cabinet. Now at the last session also the government has once again taken away its leader of the opposition. Arguing that there were no differences in the opposition ranks, he argued that it was the opposition’s right to get its leader of the opposition.