Contrary to the we-are-together-during-tough-times scene at the Centre, the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislature is not in a mood to give the DF Government any concession on issues of public concern, including the Mumbai terror attack, Leader of Opposition Ramdas Kadam and BJP leader Gopinath Munde made clear at their customary session-eve press conference on Sunday. They also stayed away from the traditional tea party though not calling it a boycott.

In a letter to Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, the Opposition thanked the Government for the invite, but in the same breath said though they would have liked to attend the tea party, they were “not in a mood” to do so as they have not yet come out of the atmosphere of terror. They also said they don’t intend to boycott the tea party.

However, talking to mediapersons, the Opposition leaders made it clear that they would wield a “confrontationist, aggressive, strong and effective” posture against the Government. “The Government here, unlike what happened in Delhi, didn’t call us for a meeting to discuss the terror issue. We will not let it off the hook just because it has a new ministry,” Munde and Kadam said.

They said they would be raising the Sadhvi-Malegaon issue and ask Government why suspects in the Mumbai train blasts case of 2006 were not subjected to narco test like the Sadhvi.

The Chief Minister, meanwhile, said he would have loved the Opposition to attend the tea party “so we could discuss the terror issue together”. “I can understand their feelings. Our feelings are the same,” he said.

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