19 Opposition MLAs suspended from Maharashtra Assembly

Mumbai: The Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution of suspension against 10 Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Nine Congress MLAs for creating a ruckus in House during the state budget speech. The disciplinary action came as surprise not only to the two parties in question but also the Shiv Sena, an ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Later, Sena ministers met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to revoke the decision, fearing a strong political backlash given the sensitive nature of the farmers’ loan waiver issue. Later, the Opposition parties met governor C. Vidyasagar Rao seeking to get the farmers’ loans written off and the suspension of their members cancelled.

When the House resumed proceedings after four days’ leave on Wednesday, parliamentary affairs minister Girish Bapat rose to propose the suspension of 19 MLAs. Citing instances of sloganeering, creating a ruckus, dancing and burning copies of the budget on the premises of the

House, Mr Bapat said, “These acts in a way disrespect the emotions of Maharashtra citizens as well as the ethics of the House. They need to be punished for this, and therefore their membership shall be suspended till December 31, 2017."

Opposition leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, who was present in House, protested strongly against the move.

He attributed the decision to the ‘dictatorial tendency of the BJP government to suppress the demands of farmers in state’.

The Opposition was caught off guard, as only six members from the Congress and NCP were present in the assembly at the time of suspension.

On the other hand, the BJP’s partner in power, Shiv Sena, was also unaware of its ally’s cunning plan to suspend the Opposition MLAs and only two of its members were present in the House. Later, Sena ministers Subhash Desai, Divakar Raote and Ramdas Kadam met Mr Fadnavis and asked him to revoke decision. The Sena fears a backlash from farmers across Maharashtra, who are awaiting relief from the government, as it thinks they would be angry to see the Opposition members being expelled for demanding a loan waiver.

Also, a few BJP MLAs from rural areas of the state have begun to feel uneasy over this sudden move, as they were heard murmuring about farmers being outraged over the decision and the sympathy that the Opposition could garner through it.

Meanwhile, the Opposition has decided to boycott the House proceeding and sit in protest on the stairs of Vidhan Bhavan.