Opposition Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT) in Maharashtra have raised question marks over the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation's announcement of giving Rs 11 crore reward to the T20 World Cup-winning Indian team, and alleged that by doing so, the government wants to pat itself on the back.

The Opposition parties said that while they were proud of the cricketers' achievement, there was no need to give Rs 11 crore from the state coffers and asked the chief minister to pay the amount from his own pocket.

BJP legislator Pravin Darekar, however, hit back at the Congress, accusing it of politicising the issue.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday announced Rs 11 crore cash reward for the Indian cricket team. The announcement was made in the Vidhan Bhavan (state legislature complex) here, where four Mumbai players from the team -- captain Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Shivam Dubey -- were felicitated.

Talking to reporters later, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Vijay Wadettiwar, said, "What was the need to give Rs 11 crore from the state coffers? This is to pat your own back...Let the coffers get empty...Let the poor die. But the government wants to pat its own back." Shiv Sena (UBT) MLC and Leader of Opposition in the legislative council, Ambadas Danve, said, "Giving Rs 11 crore to players from the state coffers was not needed. Everybody is proud of their achievements and they get adequate prize money. The CM should have given Rs 11 crore from his own pocket." Speaking to a Marathi news channel on Saturday, BJP MLC Darekar said, "Vijay Wadettiwar's mindset is distorted and shallow. The entire country rejoiced in the T20 men's team winning the World Cup, and everybody is happy." "People have seen how cricket fans gathered in large numbers to shower their love and appreciation on the cricketers (during the victory parade) at the Marine Drive in Mumbai. But Wadettiwar wants to politicise even this event," he said.

Asserting Shinde-led dispensation's commitment to farmers, Darekar said, "Our government is firm and strong enough to take care of the farmers and efficiently handle the issues faced by them. He seems to be trying to be over-smart. It is a petty attempt by Wadettiwar."

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