Maharashtra legislature budget session begins on Monday

The Koregaon Bhima riot in Pune district, two suicides at the corridors of power in Mantralaya and the recent hailstorms are some of the issues that would affect the upcoming budget session of the Maharashtra legislature commencing from Monday.

The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena saffron alliance government would not have an easy cakewalk this time - as the Opposition benches comprising Congress and NCP - have enhanced coordination.

The hailstorm in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions have come has a jolt to farmers - as a whopping 1.25 lakh hectares were affected due to the hailstorm. At least, three persons lost their lives as they were caught in the deadly hailstorm. Another big issue is the Koregaon Bhima riots that led to the death of two boys in Maharashtra. 

On 29 December, the samadhi of Govind Gopal Mahar (Gaikwad) was vandalized Vadhu Budruk, a village nearly 3 kms away from Koregaon Bhima. Govind, a Dalit, had conducted the last rites of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's eldest son Sambhaji, who was killed at the orders of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in 1689.

On 31 December, the Elgar Parishad held at Shaniwardwada in Pune city to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Koregaon-Bhima battle had several persons including Jignesh Mewani, Radhika Vemula, Umar



Khalid, Vinay Ratan Singh, Soni Sori and Prashant Dontha. Mewani and Khalid were accused to making inflammatory statements. On 1 January, an altercation between two groups took place during the celebrations â€" organized by Bhima Koregaon Shaurya Din Prerna Abhiyan -to mark the bicentenary of the Anglo-Maratha war at Bhima Koregaon in Shirur taluk in Pune district in which the Mahar caste soldiers of Bombay Native Infantry of East India Company defeated the Peshwas. One youth was killed in the incident.

Thereafter, 2 and 3 January, saw violence and statewide bandh which was called by Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. One boy was killed in lathicharge. Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr Babasaheb, had blamed two staunch Right-wing ideologues â€" Sangli-based Sambaji Bhide Guruji , the founder of Shree Shiv Pratisthan Hindustan and Pune-based Milind Ekbote, the founder of Samastha Hindu Aghadi, for violence at Koregaon Bhima.

Two suicides in Mantralaya and couple of other attempts - too has led to criticism of the government. An 84-year-old farmer from Dhule, Dharma Patil, died in the Sir JJ Hospital, a few days after he consumed poison in Mantralaya. Harshal Raote, a 45-year-old, who was on furlough for a about a month and currently staying at the family home, jumped from Mantralaya.