Oppn to boycott Fadnavis govt's high tea invite, says Jadhav; cites Indo-US deal, Pawar's death
Mumbai (PTI): Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav said the Opposition would boycott the customary tea party hosted by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday on the eve of the Maharashtra legislature's Budget Session.
Fadnavis had personally written to senior members inviting them to the event, which is a tradition on the eve of a session of the legislature, Jadhav added.
"The ruling party is arrogant and shows little respect towards the Opposition. Since there is no respect, no decency and no regard for the Constitution, we have decided to decline the high tea invitation," Jadhav told reporters.
He also slammed the trade deal between India and the United States, claiming it would adversely affect cotton growers and fisherfolk from the state.
However, the Fadnavis government has expressed no regret over the Union government's decision; therefore, it was decided to boycott the high tea invitation, the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.
Jadhav said another reason for the Opposition to decline the invite was due to the Maharashtra government's "ambiguous stand" on the death of Ajit Pawar in a plane accident.
He also slammed the state government over the execution of the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme, claiming that before the 2024 assembly elections, it had disbursed Rs 1,500 per month to women without any verification and "bought votes", and later declared more than 50 lakh women ineligible on trivial grounds.
And now, many women will not receive the allowance because they have not completed e-KYC, he said.
Congress legislative party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said 22 farmers had died by suicide in Yavatmal, while 76 had ended their lives in the Marathwada region, alleging that the state government had done nothing about it.
He also criticised the state government over the memoranda of understanding signed at the World Economic Forum in Davos, pointing out that many of the companies were located in Maharashtra itself, and some did not have sufficient capital.
The Opposition will demand a white paper on the matter, he said.
He also questioned why, if such large investments were coming to Maharashtra, the government could not increase the monthly stipend of the Ladki Bahin scheme funds from Rs 1,500 to Rs 3,000.
"Since December, Maharashtra had sought Rs 29,000 crore from the Union government but had not yet received it," he said, alleging that Gujarat received favourable treatment over Maharashtra.
The Congress leader claimed that nearly 600 acres of land near Nagpur, classified as reserved forest land, had been given to the Adani Group on lease at Rs 1 lakh per acre and alleged that the government had also permitted a mining project adjacent to the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Reserve.
"When the Maha Vikas Aghadi was in power, it had opposed the decision and did not grant permission," he said.
He also claimed that 1,57,000 women and girls were missing in Maharashtra.
Satej Patil, leader of the Congress in the legislative council, stated that nearly 70 lakh youths had registered themselves as unemployed in the state.
He also criticised the Rs 1.02 lakh crore Shaktipeeth Mahamarg project, saying it was unnecessary and that nobody had asked for it, yet the state was pushing it.
Patil also alleged that a raid on Minister Narhari Zirwal's office in Mantralaya could not have taken place without the consent of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
"If Fadnavis seriously wished to improve the state's image, he should have sought Zirwal's resignation," Patil said, adding that if the Anti-Corruption Bureau in Maharashtra is truly autonomous and under no pressure, Opposition leaders would honour its officials.
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Three dead after drinking country liquor in Meerut, police initiate probe
Meerut (UP) (PTI): Three people died under suspicious circumstances after consuming country liquor in Meerut, Uttar Pradesh. Preliminary probe has not confirmed if they died due to the quality of alcohol, officials said on Saturday.
All three vomited and had abdominal pain after drinking the liquor on Friday evening and were rushed to a hospital where they were declared dead. A post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death, they said.
According to the police, Baburam (60), a grocery shop owner, Jitendra (35), who worked at his shop and Ankit alias Daulat (40), purchased liquor in the evening from a government-authorised country liquor outlet and began drinking at the spot.
Shortly after drinking the liquor, the health of all three deteriorated, and they began complaining of vomiting and abdominal pain.
The three were rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared Jitendra and Ankit dead, while Baburam passed away during treatment.
Additional Director General (ADG) of Police for the Meerut Zone, Bhanu Bhaskar, District Magistrate VK Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Avinash Pandey, and District Excise Officer Pradeep Kumar reached the spot and initiated an investigation.
SSP Avinash Pandey said that preliminary investigations have not confirmed whether the liquor was "toxic or expired". The bottling date was found to be February 11, 2026, and other bottles from the same batch received no such complaints.
He added that a post-mortem will determine the exact cause of death. Personnel from the Health, Forensic, Surveillance, and Intelligence teams have been constituted to investigate the matter.
Following the incident, the family members created a ruckus at the hospital. Police said further action would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
