25 MLAs of Shiv Sena have now taken up the matter against the injustice being done to them regarding funds. These MLAs met Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray two days ago and said that we are being treated unfairly in terms of allocation of funds. If funds are not forthcoming, we will boycott the assembly session at the time of the budget.
The budget for 2022-23 will be presented in the legislature on March 11. The MLAs led by Prakash Abitkar, Ashish Jaiswal, Bharat Gogavale and Vaibhav Naik met Chief Minister Thackeray. Among the proposals made by the Public Works Department for budgetary provision, Rs 900 crore has been proposed for Congress MLA constituencies, Rs 700 crore for NCP MLA constituencies and only Rs 300 crore for Shiv Sena MLA constituencies. We will not sit in the Legislative Assembly when the budget is presented. The MLAs said to the Chief Minister that they would sit on the steps of the Vidhan Bhavan to protest.
Since the Mahavikas Aghadi government came into existence, Shiv Sena MLAs have been very vocal about the distribution of funds. From the very beginning, they have been saying that the finance department, the rural development department and the water resources department have been unfair about the distribution of funds.
Shiv Sena MLAs have been constantly complaining that NCP ministers call their MLAs and give them funds and that we are leaving because of the economic situation of the state. They aid that their party has the post of Chief Minister but most of the funds are squandered by the NCP. In addition to this, the public works department of the Congress has been added. Sources said that Chief Minister Thackeray listened to the grievances of 25 MLAs and summoned Industry Minister Subhash Desai and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde and gave them the responsibility to pursue the grievances. Shinde and Desai have now asked for details of the work in the constituency of these MLAs and the expenses incurred for it. He had a discussion with Public Works Minister Ashok Chavan.