The Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned on the first day of the monsoon session today after paying tributes to...

The Maharashtra Legislative Council was adjourned on the first day of the monsoon session today after paying tributes to former agriculture minister Pandurang Fundkar who died recently. Fundkar, the senior BJP leader, died on May 31 after suffering from cardiac arrest. As the Council's proceedings began for the day, Leader of the House Chandrakant Patil said Fundkar's death was a huge loss for the party. A leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde said his death was a loss for farmers in the state.

Dhananjay Munde

"Fundkar had always fought for the rights of farmers and worked for them," he noted. MLCs Neelam Gorhe andDiwakar Raote (Shiv Sena), Manikrao Thakre (Congress) and several other legislators also recalled the works of the late BJP leader. Earlier, NCP legislator Prakash Gajbhiye came to the House dressed like right-wing activist Sambhaji Bhide and brought basket mango with him.

Fundkar had always fought for the rights of farmers and worked for them

Gajbhiye alleged that the government was shielding Bhide in the Bhima-Koregaon violence case and demanded that the activist is arrested immediately. Bhide had recently claimed that childless couples were blessed with children after eating mangoes from his farm. Later, the Nashik Municipal Corporation had sent a show cause notice to Bhide, asking him to prove his claim that the fruit from his mango orchards helped these couples in having a male child.