Mumbai: Alleging that the state government is apathetic towards the severe drought in the state, Opposition parties on Wednesday staged a protest at Vidhan Bhavan.

They demanded that an adequate number of animal fodder camps be set up in drought-affected areas of the state.

As the session began in Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday, members of the Congress, NCP and other opposition parties sat on the stairs of the state Legislature and shouted slogans like “Chhavnya band… Lavnya Suru” (The fodder camps are closed, but the dance bars are open), Shetakaryanna Madat Na Karnarya Sarkarcha Dhikkar Aso (Down with the government which is not helping the farmers) against the BJP-led state government.

NCP legislator and former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar claimed that the Devendra Fadnavis government had got its priorities wrong in tackling the drought conditions.

“This government does not want to set up cattle fodder camps but is keen on giving licences to dance bars. This shows the government’s priority is not farmers and their cattle. The drought situation in the state is getting worse but the government seems to be indifferent to it,” he said.

Mr Pawar also expressed disappointment over the government not granting classical language status to Marathi as a language.

The state is celebrating the Marathi Language Day on  Wednesday, which is the birth anniversary of late Marathi litterateur and Jnanpeeth awardee V.V. Shirvadkar, popularly known as Kusumagraj. So far, Tamil, Sanskrit, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam and Odiya have been given the status of classical languages.