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The platinum jubilee of Parliament’s Estimates Committee in Mumbai sparked controversy as Maharashtra Congress and activists accused the state government of extravagant spending.
Around 600 guests from across the country attended the Estimates Committee meeting at Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan. (Photo/X: @VijayKumbhar62)
The platinum jubilee meeting of Parliament’s Estimates Committee in Mumbai has sparked controversy, with Maharashtra Congress and social activists accusing the state government of extravagant spending. The government allegedly hosted a “lavish” party, serving guests on silver plates, despite the state’s financial constraints.
The two-day event welcomed around 600 guests from across the country. According to the Maharashtra Congress, the guests were allegedly served meals worth Rs 5,000 each on silver dinner plates rented for Rs 550 each.
Calling the event an “extravagant spending”, Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said to the reporters in Nagpur, “When the state is virtually on the brink of bankruptcy, what was the need to serve meals on silver plates to members of the Estimates Committees in Mumbai?”
He also alleged that around Rs 5,000 was spent on each guest’s meal, while, on the other hand, loan waivers were being denied to farmers, bonuses were not being paid, and budget cuts were made for several welfare schemes.
The Estimates Committee reviews and evaluates the budget estimates and expenditure of each administrative department at both the central and state/UT levels, ensuring effective utilisation of funds.
Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal also attacked the state government led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and echoed his party colleague Wadettiwar.
“They (Estimates Committee delegation members) feasted on a Rs 5,000 meal served on 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?” he asked.
Social activist Kumbhar slammed the government’s extravagance, alleging that the event cost Rs 27 lakh for 600 guests, with each meal costing Rs 4,500 per person.
“Extravagant splurge of public money! Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan hosted a lavish feast for Budget Committee members from across India, costing Rs 4,500 per person. Served on silver plates (Rs 550 each), the meal for 600 guests totalled Rs 27 lakh! The same committee preaching austerity indulged in this wasteful display, sparking public outrage,” he wrote in a long post on X.
Calling the event a spectacle of excess, Kumbhar said the guests mocked their responsibility for prudent budgeting. “With 40-foot banners, stays at Taj Palace and Trident, AC dining tents, chandeliers, and red carpets, this was a royal mockery of taxpayers’ money!”
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Maharashtra, India, India
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