The Maharashtra Assembly plunged into turmoil on Wednesday over the impending execution of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, with the aggressive ruling BJP-Sena MlAs demanding that the Congress legislators, who had sought commutation of his death sentence to life, be booked for treason and forcing six noisy adjournments.
A day after six Congress legislators — four MlAs, two MlCs — and two other party representatives wrote to President Pranab Mukherjee seeking commutation of Yakub’s death sentence to life imprisonment, the saffron alliance legislators registered vociferous protests in the Assembly against what they called as an act of treason indulged in by the six legislators.
On Tuesday, Arif Naseem Khan, Amin Patel, Aslam Shaikh and Shaikh Asif Shaikh Rashid, all MlAs, Muzaffar Hussain and Husnabano Khalife, both MlCs and two other party representatives --former MlA Yusuf Abrahani and municipal councillor Javed Juneja had written to the President seeking mercy for Yakub and commutation of his death sentence to life imprisonment.
As soon as the House met for the day, leader of Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil demanded that the question hour be suspended to facilitate a debate on allegations of corruption against BJP ministers and also debate on Marathwada development.
However, the ruling Sena-BJP alliance members retaliated by raising the issue of a letter written by six Congress legislators demanding commutation of Yakub’s death sentence. “They (six Congress legislators) are anti-nationals as they have questioned the verdict of the Supreme Court,” Sena MlA Gulabrao Patil said, as he demanded that the six Opposition legislators be booked for treason.
The Sena-BJP members supported Patil’s demand and shouted slogans demanding “dalals” (agents) of Yakub Memon be punished. Some members even displayed photographs of Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who had courted controversy by seeking mercy for Yakub, with a noose.
Vikhe Patil’s clarification that the Congress legislators had not questioned questioned the decision of the Supreme court did not pacify the angry saffron alliance legislators. They shouted down Congress MlA Aslam Sheikh (Congress) who tried to clarify on the letter to the President.
The agitating saffron alliance MlAs rushed to the well of the House and shouted slogans demanded action against the six Congress legislators, forcing six noisy adjournments.
The chair, meanwhile, rushed through day’s agenda of laying of papers and also passed a few bills, including Co-operative Institutions Amendment bill, Municipal Corporation Amendment bill and Maharashtra Regional Town Planning Amendment bill.