Nagpur: The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government in Maharashtra has come under fire after meals were served in silver plates during the platinum jubilee meeting of Parliament’s Estimates Committee in Mumbai. The Congress slammed the Fadnavis government accusing it of “extravagant spending” when the state’s finances were under strain.
Congress Legislature Party leader in Maharashtra Vijay Wadettiwa shared the pictures of the meeting on X and claimed that the members of the committee were served meal in silver plates at the two-day conclave.
The event, inaugurated by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan complex, was attended by more than 600 guests. Wadettiwa alleged that the cost of each meal was Rs 5,000. He said that the BJP government in the state was spending so much money at a time farmers are being denied loan waivers, bonuses are not being paid, and large sections of tribal, social welfare, and Anganwadi schemes are allegedly facing budget cuts. The two-day conference saw participation of chairpersons and members of such panels of Parliament, states and Union Territory legislatures.
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Questioning the priorities of the ruling coalition comprising the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena, the former state minister said, “When the state is virtually on the brink of bankruptcy, what was the need to serve meals in silver plates to members of the Estimates Committees in Mumbai?”
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal also slammed the Mahayuti government over the issue of “meal in silver plates”. “They (estimates committee delegation members) feasted on Rs 5,000 meal served in Rs 550 worth of silver plate each. Was the fund spent linked to the money found in the Dhule government guest house when the state estimates committee was touring?” the MPCC chief asked in Mumbai.
He was referring to the recovery of a huge amount of cash from a room in the government guest house in Dhule district ahead of the visit of state estimates committee members last month. Sapkal said that the Mahayuti government has no money for farmers’ loan waivers but they have no shortage of funds for “lavish banquets”.
