Sena-BJP doing good job as oppn, should remain there: R R Patil

Mumbai, Mar 17 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil, today said the Sena-BJP combine is doing a good job as the Opposition.

while replying to the Opposition's reaction to the Governor's speech in the Assembly, Mr Patil said the Sena-BJP combine was doing a good job as the Opposition party and should remain there.

Mr Patil said the BJP and Shiv Sena are criticising the Union Government's decision of loan waiver keeping in mind the elections that are around the corner and are trying to claim that it was because of the Opposition's pressure that the decision was taken.

''The Union Minister of Agriculture Sharad Pawar had taken the historical decision to waive off Rs 60,000 worth of loans of the farmers, which will also benefit the farmers of Maharashtra,'' said Mr Patil.

Mr Patil added that he alongwith the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh have decided to benefit the other farmers of the state, who will not be benefitted under the Central government's scheme. ''Once the package is decided upon, the state government will provide it's share in the loan waiver scheme,'' Mr Patil said.

The Deputy Chief Minister stated that the BJP-Shiv Sena had undertaken a lot of development work during their tenure, overlooking the finances because of which the state is reeling under a debt of Rs 1.5 lakh crore. ''The BJP-Shiv Sena coalition thought about the bridges and the Mumbai-Pune road overlooking the plight of the farmers,'' Patil said in his reply.

Mr Patil said during the BJP-Sena government, many promises were made to the public in their manifesto but were not fulfilled when they came to power and that they should know the difference between promising and delivering.

He also made a reference to the former chief minister, Manohar Joshi's speech on loan, where he had said only men take loans, and sarcastically said taking the loan amount to three times to what the Sena-BJP combine had taken does not make them three times manly.

The Opposition had criticised the Governor's speech made on the first day of the session, wherein he had praised the Maharashtra government for their work in the state.

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