Row over governor’s address on Day 1 of Maha budget session

MUMBAI: The state legislature’s budget session began with a row on Monday as the Opposition staged a walkout for not getting Marathi translation of the governor’s address on their headphones as governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao addressed a joint session of members from both the houses in English.

Soon after Rao began his speech in the central hall, members of the Opposition started complaining they were not getting the Marathi translation of his speech on their headphones.

By the time school education minister Vinod Tawde rushed to the translation room and started reading the Marathi version, the Opposition had staged a walkout.

Later, Rao wrote to the chairman of the legislative council and speaker of the assembly, directing to conduct a probe into the goof-up and take strict action against the officials responsible.

Meanwhile, the Opposition alleged they heard the Gujarati version of Rao’s speech on their headphones. Tawde said, “There was no question of the Gujarati translation (being) played in the system. The opposition has been alleging about the Gujarati translation with mala fide intention.”

The legislature secretariat, the parliamentary affairs department, and the publicity department were involved in organising a translator for Rao’s speech.

The officials could not ensure that the translator, also a news reader on Sahyadri channel of Doordarshan, reached the designated room to read the translated version. The translator was not allowed to enter the central hall for want of a due pass. The officials concerned are expected to face action. While a blame game has been on between these departments, many in government feel the buck should stop with the legislature secretariat.

Fadnavis is learnt to have been livid with the faux pas. “What happened is condemnable and I apologise for this. There will be an inquiry into how this happened and by the end of the evening someone will be asked to go home for dereliction of duty,” he told the state assembly.

In his speech, Rao spoke about the Bjp-led government’s schemes across sectors, expressing satisfaction over disbursement of loan waiver to farmers.