Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs from Maharashtra are staying at a five-star in Guwahati, as the political crisis in Maharashtra deepens for the Uddhav Thackeray government.
According to various media reports, close to 70 rooms have been booked for seven days by the MLAs led by Eknath Shinde.
They were at first lodged in a hotel in Surat, after reaching there on Monday, before moving to Guwahati.
This has led many observers to wonder about the bills being footed due to the ‘resort’ politics, which call for security and travel arrangements in addition to the stay costs.
For example, by the going tariff for the rooms in Guwahati’s Radisson Blu hotel, where the MLAs are put up, INR 56 lakh would be spent for a week, according to sources at the hotel
The MLAs were also reported to be escorted by police to the Radisson Blu hotel in three luxury buses operated by the Assam State Transport Corporation.
Food and other services are also estimated to cost around INR 8 lakh per day (Rs 56 lakh for seven days), taking the entire damages to INR 1.12 crore, sources added.
The Opposition criticized the Assam government and the rebelling politicians, at a time when the people of Assam are in serious distress due to the devastating floods.
Reacting to the claims that his BJP-led government was allegedly ignoring flood relief work and busy hosting the MLAs from Maharashtra, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said he cannot order closure of hotels in the Assam capital due to floods in some parts of the state.