The BJP-led Opposition disrupted the proceedings in the Maharashtra Assembly for the third consecutive day on Wednesday over deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s controversial “urine” and “making babies during load-shedding hours” remarks.
With Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan away from the House, the Opposition targeted him and demanded his apology over Ajit Pawar’s “insensitive” remarks.
However, Minister for legislative Affairs Harshvardhan Patil rejected the Opposition’s demand that since Ajit Pawar had already apologised in the House and before the media, there was no need for the Chief Minister to tender his apology.
“The matter should end now. There is no need for the Chief Minister to apologise,” Patil said.
Patil also rejected the Opposition’s demand for extension of the budget session by another week, saying: “The time available on hand is being wasted. Where is for extending the session by another weekIJ”
Raising the issue soon after the House assembled for the day, leader of the Opposition Eknath Khadse demanded to know as to why the chief minister had chosen to stay away from the Assembly and that too after having agreed to make a statement or tender an apology on the Ajit Pawar controversy. “ We would like to know under whose pressure that he is reneging on his assurance to the House,” Khadse said.
Informed sources in the ruling Democratic Front (DF) meanwhile said that Ajitdada - as Ajit Pawar is known in the state political circles --himself had prevailed upon Chavan against making a statement over his “objectionable” comments at a public rally at Indapur in Pune district on Saturday last.
At the Indapur rally, Ajitdada had ridiculed a farmer-activist from Solapur Prabhakar Deshmukh, who was sitting for the past two on a dharna at Azad Maidan in south Mumbai demanding water from Ujani dam for irrigation in his district, by wondering: “Who is this DeshmukhIJ What is the point of his uposhanIJ Will it yield waterIJ When there is no water where will I arrange water fromIJ Should I urinate (in the dam)IJ”
In another equally controversial comment made at the same rally, Ajitdada had said: “I have also come to know that because of power load-shedding in Maharashtra, there has been an increase in the birth of children in the State. What else you can expect people to do, if there is shortage of power in the State”.
Khadse said that as the leader of the Assembly and it was the Chief Minister’s responsibility to ensure smooth running of the House.
Dilip Sopal, an independent legislator supporting the DF Government, said: “The Opposition should be magnanimous in its approach, accept Ajit Pawar’s apology and let the House function normally. There is lot of business to be transacted in the House”.
NCP’s Shashikant Shinde earned the wrath of the MNS members by saying: “Ajit Pawar has apologised. But, MNS president Raj Thackeray is making derogatory comments about women from the drought-affected areas”. Shinde’s comment angered the MNS members, who rushed to the well of the House and protested against the NCP legislator’s comment.
Amid the din that followed, Speaker Dilip Walse Patil rushed through the business slated for the day.
Earlier, responding to the continued Opposition clamour for admission of a censure notice against Ajitdada, the Speaker told the House that there was no provision of a censure motion in the legislative Assembly.
later, the Speaker took the Opposition by surprise by allowing an impromptu debate on the merits of the Opposition’s demand for moving a censure motion against the deputy Chief Minister.
After hearing the Opposition members pressing for the admission of censure motion against Ajitdada, the Speaker said he would give his ruling on Monday.
In a related development, Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Manikrao Thakre said that there was no need to drag the Chief Minister into the controversy over Ajitdada’s remarks on drought and load-shedding.
Rejecting the Opposition’s demand for Chavan’s apology, Thakre said: “Ajit Pawar has apologised thrice for his mistake. The matter should end there itself. There is no need for the Chief Minister to apologise”.
Meanwhile, upset with a mere message on twitter tendering apology on behalf of his nephew Ajit, the Shiv Sena demanded as to why the NCP chief Sharad Pawar was “silent” on the “urine” controversy
“Where is Sharad PawarIJ What is he exactly doing, when his nephew has harmed the culture of MaharashtraIJ Where is the Union Agriculture Minister, who usually acts like a consultant and a guide and sometimes even reprimands the one who commits mistakeIJ Even the people from Baramati would be asking this question,” an editorial in Sena’s official-mouthpiece Saamana said on Wednesday.