By IANS
Nagpur : No business could be transacted in either house of the Maharashtra legislature Tuesday as vociferous Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) members forced adjournment, raising a demand for discussion on the issue of continuing farmers’ suicides in Vidarbha.
Sporting saffron caps and shirts painted with slogans pertaining to the agrarian crisis, the opposition members insisted they would not allow any business to be taken up unless a full-fledged discussion on the grave issue of farmers’ suicides was taken up.
Though Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshavardhan Patil promised a debate on the issue Wednesday and urged the members to allow the business listed for the day to be taken up, the determined opposition refused to budge and kept shouting slogans.
A comprehensive debate on the mounting irrigation backlog in Vidarbha was to have been taken up Tuesday among other things.
While Legislative Assembly Speaker Babasaheb Kupekar had to adjourn the house thrice for half an hour each time before finally adjourning it for the day, Legislative Council Chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh had to adjourn the upper house twice before finally adjourning it for the day.
The discussion on the issue and, time permitting, on the Urban Land Ceiling Act repeal bill would be taken up in both houses Wednesday, the presiding officers announced before adjourning the houses.
The houses were adjourned Monday, the first day of the winter session, after paying homage to former chief minister Babasaheb Bhosale and former deputy chief minister Ramrao Adik who died in the intervening period between the last legislature session and the current one.