Maha Governor asks Thackeray govt to face floor test tomorrow, MVA moves SC
Mumbai: Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has asked the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary to hold a floor test of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government at 11 am on Thursday.
A copy of the letter issued by Koshyari late on Tuesday night is with the PTI.
The letter comes amid the rebellion in the ruling Shiv Sena by senior minister Eknath Shinde, who has been camping in Guwahati since last week with majority of party legislators and several independent MLAs, which has pushed the government led by Thackeray, who is also the Sena president, into a crisis.
In his letter sent to Maharashtra Legislature's Principal Secretary Rajendra Bhagwat, Koshyari, said, "A special session of the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha (legislative Assembly) shall be summoned on June 30 (Thursday) at 11 am with the only agenda of a trust vote against the chief minister, and the proceedings shall be concluded in any case by 5 pm."
"The proceedings of the House shall be telecast live and appropriate arrangements for the same shall be made," the letter said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut termed the Maharashtra Governor's order for a floor test of the MVA government as "unlawful", saying that the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs.
He said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling coalition of Sena, NCP and Congress, will approach the Supreme Court and seek justice on this issue.
Taking a dig at the governor, Raut said the Raj Bhavan has acted at a "jet speed even faster than Rafale" after BJP leaders met him, urging him to seek a trust vote.
He reminded the governor that the file pertaining to the nomination of 12 MLCs to the Upper House of the state legislature from his quota has been pending with him for a long time.
"This (floor test order) is an unlawful activity as pleas of disqualification of 16 MLAs are pending before the Supreme Court. If such unlawful activities take place, and if the governor and the BJP trample upon the Constitution, then the SC has to interfere," Raut told reporters.
"We will go to the Supreme Court and seek justice," he said.
BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had on Tuesday night met the governor and requested him to ask the Thackeray-led government to prove its majority in the Assembly, claiming that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition dispensation seemed to be in minority as 39 Sena MLAs who belong to the Shinde faction have said they do not support it.
