Miffed apparently with the delay on the part of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to act on the State Cabinet’s recommendation to nominate him to the State Legislative Council, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought the latter’s intervention in the matter.
A day after a delegation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ministers – led by deputy chief Minister Ajit Pawar -- met BS Koshyari at Raj Bhawan to press for his nomination as an MLC, Uddhav spoke to the Prime Minister and explained him about the efforts being made to create “political instability” which was not avoidable at a time when the stte government was fighting the battle against Coronavirus.
Informed sources in the ruling Shiv Sena said that during his conversation with the Prime Minister, Uddhav alluded to the delay on the Governor’s part to nominate him as a member of the State Legislative Council in one of the two vacant slots. The delay, Uddhav said, was despite the two recommendations made by the Maharashtra Cabinet to the Governor in this regard.
“There should not be political instability in a big state like Maharashtra and that too at a time when the state government is tackling the grim Covid-19 situation. During his conversation, the chief minister urged Modi to look into the matter,” the sources said.
Uddhav, who was sworn in as the chief minister on November 28 last year, is not a member of either of the Houses of the State Legislature. As provided under the Constitution, Uddhav will in the normal course have to get elected to either of the Houses on or before May 28, the six-month deadline for his becoming a member of either of the Houses.
In the normal course, the Election Commission was to hold the elections to fill the posts of nine MLCs, who will be retiring on April 24 from Upper House, and Uddhav was to contest these elections. However, the EC has postponed these elections in view of the Coronavirus-triggered lockdown.
It may be recalled that on April 9, at a meeting presided over by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, the State Cabinet had decided to recommend to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as a Member of Legislative Council, from one of the two vacant slots.
Subsequently on April 27, the Maharashtra government wrote once again to the Governor to nominate chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as a Member of Legislative Council in one of the two vacant slots.
“Currently, the state government and the administration are fighting a fierce battle against Coronavirus. At this juncture, it is essential that the instability in the state should be removed. Hence, the State Cabinet urged the Governor to act quickly on a recommendation made by it on April 9 to nominate current chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as a member in one of the two vacant slots in the State Legislature,” the Maharashtra government had said in a release put out after the meeting.
After a delegation of a half a dozen senior ministers met the Governor on Tuesday and urged the latter to nominate Uddhav as an MLC, senior NCP minister Jayant Patil said: “Our delegation's demand is genuine. The Maharashtra cabinet has sent the recommendation for the second time. We requested the governor to approve the recommendation," Patil said.
If Uddhav fails to get elected to either of the Houses before May 28, he will have to resign from his post. In that scenario, it will be up to the Governor to invite Uddhav to take oath as the chief minister once again. Once Uddhav is sworn into the office as the chief minister, he will have another six months to get elected to either of the Houses. Subsequently, Uddhav’s other ministers will have to be once again administered oath of office by the Governor. If anything, he will be at the mercy of the Governor.
On April 19, the ruling Shiv Sena had launched a sharp but an indirect attack against Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for his “failure” to act on a recommendation made by the State Cabinet for nominating chief minister Uddhav Thackeray as a member of the state Legislative Council, by saying that “Raj Bhavan should not become centre for political conspiracy.
In a tweet that he put out first in Marathi, Raut had said: Raj Bhavans should not become dirty den for politics. I am suddenly reminded of a Rs shameless’ late Andhra Pradesh Governor Ramlal. This clue is enough for those who can understand”.
In another tweet that he put in English, Raut said: "Raj bhavan , governor's house shouldn't become center for political conspiracy. Remember ! history doesn't spare those who behave unconstitutionally”.
The reference to late T Ramlal should be seen in the context of the fact when, as he as the Governor of then united Andhra Pradesh had appointed N Bhaskar Rao as the Chief Minister when the incumbent chief minister N T Rama Rao was away in the United States for a surgery in a much-discussed coup political carried out with the support of the Governor and the then Congress government at the Centre in August 1984.
His reign as the chief minister had lasted for mere 31 days.
