Shiv Sena legislators are disappointed with party chief Uddhav Thackeray and hence decided not to speak over the drought issue. Shiv Sena legislator from Amalner, Gulabrao Patil, and Arjun Khotkar from Jalna refused to speak despite their names being announced in the Lower House during discussion on drought. According to a party insider, it was a covert understanding between chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray not to be aggressive against the BJP.
The discussion on drought was discussed in Assembly on the second day of the first week of the Budget Session here. Opposition party leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil began the debate and later NCP and Congress members participated in the discussion.
Speaker of the House Haribhau Bagade announced Sena legislator Gulabrao Patil’s name to speak immediately after NCP’s senior leader Ajit Patil. But Gulabrao Patil refused to speak. Mr Khotkar too followed suit.
When asked outside the House why he did not speak on the issue, Mr Khotkar said, “Ask party whip Sunil Prabhu the reason why we (Gulabrao Patil) didn’t speak.” Mr Prabhu was not available for comment. Gulabaro Patil said that there was no use speaking in the House.
Another Sena legislator, on the condition of anonymity, claimed, “Here we take a stand against the BJP and in favour of farmers, but some of the leaders use our stand to settle their issues with the BJP.”
Meanwhile, a party insider, who is at the top level in the party, revealed that the decision not to have an aggressive stand against BJP was taken during a joint meeting of Mr Fadnavis and Mr Thackeray on Tuesday.
“During the Monsoon Session in Mumbai and the Winter Session in Nagpur last year, our party legislator Gulabrao Patil criticised the state government rigorously and that time the BJP and the chief minister were upset with the Sena’s stand. That’s why he called Uddhavji to attend a BJP-Sena party legislators’ meeting at Sahyadri Guesthouse on Tuesday,” said the leader.
He claimed that in the meeting, it was agreed by both leaders not to take a stand against the BJP. “Uddhavji has given strict instructions not to speak against government’s policies as we are part of the government,” he said.
Meanwhile, senior Sena leader and minister for road transport Diwakar Raote refused to speak about any instruction from the party chief. He said he was not aware about any whip.
NCP leader Ajit Pawar said, “Sena legislators have no courage to speak on farmers’ issue. If chief minister Devendra Fadnavis thinks he has managed Sena and he could conduct the House ignoring Congress and NCP legislators, it’s his daydream. We will not allow BJP to conduct business of the House bypassing the farmer suicides issue,” he said.
