Turning up the heat on Maharashtra’s Advocate General Shreehari Aney for the second time in a month, the ruling Shiv Sena on Friday charged that he had embarrassed the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation yet again through his submission before the Bombay High Court that the State administrative machinery was “inept” in preventing recurring farmers’ suicide in the State.
A month after it tried unsuccessfully to corner the BJP-led saffron alliance Government in the State Assembly over his remarks about separate statehood for Vidarbha region, the Shiv Sena took strong exception to Aney’s statement that the State Government had proved to be ineffective in checking the farmers’ suicides in the State.
“Aney, who has been hand-picked by State Advocate General by Fadnavis himself, has embarrassed the State Government yet again. Being the Advocate General, we expect him to put across the State Government’s effectively before the court. But what he has been doing is quite opposite. He has said in the Bombay High Court that the State Government has proved to be inept in checking farmers’ suicides in the State,” the Sena stated in its official mouth-piece “Saamana”.
“like Devendra Fadnavis and senior State Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, Aney also hails from the Vidarbha region. Fadnavis had gone on record saying that his Government would see to it that not even one farmer committed suicide in Vidarbha region. However, the farmers are continuing to commit suicide in Vidarbha,” the Sena mouth-piece stated.
“On his part, Aney told the Bombay High court that as many as 124 farmers committed suicide in Vidarbha during the last one and a half months. Aney would not stop with this admission. He went on to attribute the continuing suicides to the sheer lethargy of the state machinery. Sitting in air-conditioned chambers at Mantralaya ( State Secretariat), how do one expect these people understand the plight of distressed farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha regionsIJ,” the Sena mouth-piece quoted Aney having told the high court.
“With him as the State Advocate General, there is no need for the state government to have more rivals. With his statement before the high court, Aney has made the state government look like a misfit in tackling the agrarian crisis in the state. Even in the case of the Vidarbha statehood issue, the state government had gone to Aney’s rescue by saying that his remarks (that the Centre should hold a referendum on the issue of carving a Vidarbha state out of Maharashtra) were personal opinion,” the “Saamana” editorial said.
“We heard about Government making available smart phones at `251 per piece under Make In India scheme.. But all the farmers in Vidabha and Marathwada need are drinking water to quench their thirst. some food eat and grass for their cattle. The politicians of Vidarha who are ruling the state, have failed to deliver this to the distressed farmers… We are not saying this but the Fadnavis-appointed “Make In Vidarbha” State Advocate General Aney has told this to the Bombay High Court. There could not been such a state Advocate General,” the editorial stated in a sarcastic manner.
This is for the second time that the Sena has joined issue with the BJP-led Maharashtra government over Aney’s remarks. The Sena, it may be recalled, had on December 15 last year sought to move a privilege motion in the State Assembly against Aney for controversial remarks about the contentious Vidarbha statehood issue. Speaker Haribhau Bagade rejected the privilege sought to be moved by Sena’s senior MlA Pratap Sarnaik against Aney.
At a book release function held in Nagpur on December 5, Aney had said that the Centre should hold a referendum on the issue of carving a Vidarbha State out of Maharashtra. He had also said that 80 per cent of people would vote in favour of creating a Vidarbha State.
The Sena’s move against Aney was in the context that the party has consistently opposed the creation of separate Vidharba State on the ground that it is against the division of Maharashtra.
Seeking to move the privilege notice against Aney, Sarnaik had said: “Advocate General Aaney has insulted the feelings of the people of Maharashtra. We want him to apologise to this house for his objectionable remarks. It is only then will we forgive him. Otherwise, we (Shiv Sena) will continue to protest against him”.
After the Speaker rejected Sarnaik’s privilege notice against Aney, the Sena legislators rushed to the well of the House and raised slogans against the State Advocate General.
On its part, the BJP had ruled out Aney’s removal from his post and defended him, saying that the AG would not say anything against the interest of the state. “The question our asking Aney to quit his post does not arise. Because Aney will not take any stand that is against the state’s interest,” State Education Minister Vinod Tawde had said.