Maharashtra: Sena MP Raut justifies suspension of 12 BJP MLAs
What's the story
A day after 12 BJP MLAs were suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly for alleged misbehavior, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said indiscipline cannot be tolerated, even as the opposition BJP held protests in the Vidhan Bhavan complex in Mumbai and other parts of the state over the action. Raut said, "Never before the State Legislature witnessed such indiscipline." Here's more.
What happened?
The MLAs allegedly misbehaved with the presiding officer
The opening day of the State Legislature's two-day monsoon session on Monday witnessed high drama as twelve BJP MLAs were suspended for one year after the state government accused them of misbehaving with presiding officer Bhaskar Jadhav in the Speaker's chamber. Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, had termed the allegation as false and said Jadhav's account of the incident was one-sided.
Protests
BJP held protests gainst the suspension of MLAs
On Tuesday, Raut said, "Using abusive language... is not Maharashtra's culture." Meanwhile, the BJP held protests in different parts of the state, condemning the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress—government's action against the opposition party's MLAs. Several BJP legislators squatted on the stairs of the Vidhan Bhavan building in Mumbai and shouted slogans against CM Uddhav Thackeray-led MVA government.
Governor's intervention
The suspended MLAs sought Governor's intervention
The 12 MLAs against whom the action was taken were, however, not seen at the BJP's protests. The suspended members include Sanjay Kute, Ashish Shelar, Abhimanyu Pawar, Girish Mahajan, Atul Bhatkhalkar, Parag Alavani, Harish Pimpale, Yogesh Sagar, Jay Kumar Rawat, Narayan Kuche, Ram Satpute, and Bunty Bhangdia. On Monday, the suspended members met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, seeking his intervention in the matter.