The opposition will also take on the government for the alleged decision by state social welfare minister Babanrao Gholap to deposit Rs 6 crore held by various government undertakings to one of the city's closed urban cooperative banks. The opposition along with the anti-corruption crusader, Anna Hazare, have already demanded Gholaps's arrest alleging that he has been protected for his ``misdeeds.''

It will also flay the government on the development of hill station and township by the Sahara group in Lonavala. The high court has already set aside the permission granted by the state for this purpose.

Leader of opposition in the state council, Chhagan Bhujbal,welcomed the order while chief minister Manohar Joshi said that the court had upheld the government's November 1996 notification regarding development of hill stations through private parties.

The ruling Sena has already put the Congress on the defensive by appealing to state assembly speaker Datta Nalavade to disqualify seven independents who have been given primary membership in the Congress. Sena legislator Chandrakant Padwal has submitted copies of receipts given to these independents by the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee.

However, the Congress has refuted this sayings that the receipts submitted by Padwal were fake. Party general secretary Gurunath Kulkarni and seven independents have also filed their say before Nalavade in this regard. The speaker is expected to give his ruling during the session.

The Sena has grabbed this opportunity to control dissidence within the party. Party legislators Ganesh Naik, Suresh Navle and Gulabrao Gawande (all sacked ministers) who formed Shiv Shakti havealready announced their intention to form a separate party during the session. Observers say that the Sena's intention to voice against independent's episode was a calculated move engineered by the chief minister.

The opposition is determined to grill the government on its failure to contain crime in Mumbai and elsewhere. Leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha Sharad Pawar had recently convened a meeting of Mumbaikars to discuss the issue with traders and businessmen deciding to form a brigade for protection.

The Sena-sponsored disruption of the film Fire will also be taken by the opposition who have alleged that the the former has virtually imposed a cultural emergency.