Fresh from its partial success at the Supreme Court which passed severe strictures against then Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari over the questionable conduct in the intra-party crisis witnessed last year, the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday mounted pressure on Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar to decide on its plea seeking disqualification of 16 Sena MLAs, including chief minister Eknath Shinde.
In the absence of Narvekar who is reportedly away in London for some personal work, a high-level Sena (UBT) delegation called on Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal and submitted a memorandum to him seeking an early decision over their demand for disqualification of 16 MLAs. Along with their memorandum, the Sena (UBT) delegation handed over a copy of the verdict given by the Supreme Court last week over the Shiv Sena crisis witnessed in June last year. Among other things, the apex court had held that while “it cannot restore the MVA Government led by Uddhav Thackeray” as he resigned without facing a floor test in June last year, it asked the Speaker to decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs within a “reasonable period”.
Sena (UBT)’s chief whip Sunil Prabhu, who led the delegation, said that the delegation met the deputy speaker as the Speaker was away from Mumbai.
“During our meeting with deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal, we reiterated our party’s stand that the Speaker must take his decision in the matter at the earliest possible. We told the deputy Speaker that on his return from abroad, Narvekar should take a decision on the disqualification issue as soon as possible,” Prabhu said. The Sena (UBT) delegation comprised party legislators Prabhu, Ramesh Korgaonkar, Sunil Raut, Anil Parab, Dr, Manisha Kayande, Sachin Aher, Vilas Potnis, Sunil Shinde and Rutuja Latke.
Apart from asking the Speaker to take a decision on the disqualification of 16 rebel Sena MLAs, including Shinde, the Supreme Court had said that the decision of the Speaker to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of the Shiv Sena in the Assembly was contrary to law.
“The governor was not justified in calling upon Mr Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the House because he did not have reasons based on objective material before him to reach the conclusion that Mr Thackeray had lost the confidence of the House,” the court had said on Koshyari’s role in the crisis.