The Maharashtra government has no vision and, therefore, must be ousted in the forthcoming Assembly polls, Nationalist Congress Party (SP) state unit chief Jayant Patil said on Monday.
Speaking at an interaction organised by the Pune Union of Working Journalists (PUWJ), Patil said the state's debt was increasing while law and order was deteriorating under the Eknath Shinde government.
"There is need to focus on fundamental issues of the state. There should be a vision for the state for the next 50 years. People want a farsighted government. That is why people must work towards ousting this government, which is on a temporary mission (of retaining power)," he said.
Queried about the state government's flagship 'Ladki Bahin Yojana', Patil said women who are alone and have no support must get financial aid but added that MLAs from the ruling alliance themselves are claiming the scheme is just for the polls and may be discontinued after that.
Patil said the opposition will never have an issue if women who really need financial aid get help.
"In fact, we will increase the aid," he said. Under the scheme, women with a family income of less than Rs 2.5 lakh get Rs 1,500 as monthly aid.
Asserting that the state's fiscal deficit had increased and debt was rising, Patil said, "I won't be surprised if the (disbursal of) salaries of government employees runs into trouble. Leaving aside other schemes, work is on to just give money to one scheme (Ladki Bahin Yojana). There is a ploy to delay (Assembly) polls so that maximum money can be distributed under the scheme." He alleged all efforts of the ruling alliance was for short-term gains, the prime being retaining power.
Patil said the rift between communities and castes in Maharashtra was widening under the Shinde government, which comprises the Shiv Sena, the BJP and the Ajit Pawar-led NCP.
Speaking on quota for Marathas, he said a system should be brought in under which all segments get opportunity as per their proportion in the population.
Asked about NCP (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar claiming that no one from his party was interested in the post of CM, Patil said the opposition stalwart had been making sacrifices since Lok Sabha polls to strengthen the Maha Vikas Aghadi.
"We wanted to contest 14-15 Lok Sabha seats but Pawar saheb asked me to leave the claim in order to make the MVA strong. Pawar saheb's first priority is to oust the BJP-led state government. He has no interest in who will become CM," Patil asserted.
