Anas Sarwar has urged Nicola Sturgeon to fix problems facing her government instead of focusing on another independence referendum.
The Scottish Labour leader listed a number of areas where the SNP government has failed to meet its targets since coming into power.
During a fiery First Minister's Questions (FMQs), Sturgeon hit back and insisted Scotland "is the only part of the UK that has a child payment specifically to lift children out of poverty".
Sarwar highlighted Scotland's drug death problem, NHS waiting times, the education attainment gap and poverty across the country.
He said it was time for the government to get on with the day job rather than campaigning for a second referendum.
Sarwar added: "No wonder Nicola Sturgeon wants to hide and distract from her failures.
"Not focusing on the rising child and pensioner poverty, on her watch.
"Not focusing on the drugs deaths that more than doubled, on her watch. Not focusing on the attainment gap that is still wide open, on her watch.
"Not focusing on the 700,000 people really got an NHS waiting list, on her watch.
"Instead, what do we get? Not the Nicola Sturgeon we saw during the pandemic, but a return to the Nicola Sturgeon who wants to divide our country and pit Scot against Scot.
"After 15 years of this SNP government and eight years as First Minister. When will she stop pretending she's in opposition and start governing for the people of Scotland?"
Sturgeon pledged earlier this week to hold a vote in autumn next year after she revealed the first in a series of papers around Scotland's future.
In order for a second vote to take place it will need the agreement of Boris Johnson 's Tory government, however the Prime Minister has refused to give permission.
Sturgeon hit back at Sarwar at FMQs, saying: "Anas Sarwar talks about this government's use of its own powers.
"He mention child poverty, can I remind them that Scotland is the only part of the UK that has a child payment specifically to lift children out of poverty.
"If Anas Sarwar wasn't prepared to continue to support the situation where welfare powers lie in the hands of Tory Prime Ministers and Chancellors instead get them into the hands of this Parliament we could do more and he might just have a scrap more credibility."
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