CM Fadnavis justifies getting trust vote in Speaker's favour

Mumbai: Recalling the past incident of bringing a confidence motion in favour of the government, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday justified his action of getting a trust vote in favour of the Assembly Speaker passed, even as a no-confidence notice against him was pending.  The House was adjourned once on the issue as the Opposition parties had created an uproar over the confidence motion.

“In 2006, the then-chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh got a trust vote in favour of his council of ministers passed in the House without prior notice and listing of the issue on the day’s agenda. Why are you all opposing now when you didn’t find anything objectionable then,” Mr Fadnavis asked the Opposition members.

He said there is no difference between the Speaker and the chief minister. “The chief minister is appointed as the leader of House by the Assembly just like the Speaker. The only difference is that a two-day notice is given for the no-confidence notice against the council of ministers and a 14 -day notice is given for a no-confidence against the Speaker,” the chief minister said.

Parliamentary affairs minister Girish Bapat said that he tried to consult the Congress and NCP leaders in the House for fixing the debate on the no confidence after the 14-day notice period ended. “But there was no clarity or consensus among Opposition members. We did not want to keep the notice pending. I urge the Opposition members to end the issue,” he said.

The issue was raised in the House as soon as the House resumed after a weekend break. Leader of  Opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said the chief minister’s action of bringing a trust vote in favour of the Speaker when the no-confidence notice was pending was a blot on democracy.

“We exercised our constitutional right in moving a no-confidence notice against the Speaker. There is no provision of no confidence against the chief minister. It is only against the council of ministers,” he said.