Govt positive about addressing issues of teachers, opposition playing politics: Fadnavis

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said the government is positive about addressing the issues of teachers from aided and unaided schools who have been protesting here.

Speaking in the legislative council, he also hit out at the opposition, accusing it of playing politics over the matter.

It is not right if the teachers are indulging in politics, and it won’t be tolerated, he said.

“The government is positive about resolving the matter. It’s our commitment, but we have our issues. We will invite them (for discussion),” he said.

Fadnavis said BJP minister Girish Mahajan has been coordinating with the protesting teachers.

Teachers from aided and partially aided schools have launched an agitation at the Azad Maidan in south Mumbai, claiming that the government has not increased grants to their institutes despite announcements. Also, whatever grants they receive are now being released in instalments, which hampers the management of their schools, they have said.

NCP (SP) leader Sharad Pawar, who met the teachers in the morning, has demanded that the Maharashtra government take immediate action to resolve the ongoing protest.

“The opposition is raising a finger at us, but their four fingers are pointed towards them. You (the previous Congress government) gave approval to all these institutes that they would be permanently unaided. You removed the word 'permanently'. Then you never gave them a single penny,” he said.

The first instalment was released when he was the CM, Fadnavis said. The second instalment was paid by the BJP government. He claimed that when Uddhav Thackeray was the CM for two and a half years, the government did not give a penny to the teachers.

“We took the decision and it is a fact. We agree that there was a delay in making the payment,” he said.

Hitting out at the opposition, he said it is playing politics even though “this is not a matter of politics”.