PTI
Mumbai
The political temperature rose in Maharashtra on Tuesday ahead of the crucial verdict by the assembly speaker on the cross-petitions by Shiv Sena factions seeking disqualification of each other’s MLAs following a split in the party, an outcome which will decide the way forward for the Eknath Shinde government and also the regional outfit’s rival groups.
On the eve of the verdict, the opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) upped the ante as its president Uddhav Thackeray said his party has filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court objecting to a recent meeting between Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is among the MLAs whose disqualification has been sought, and speaker Rahul Narwekar as both sides engaged in a verbal spat. Narwekar is slated to deliver his much-awaited verdict on the disqualification pleas at 4 pm on January 10 (Wednesday), Vidhan Bhavan officials said, more than 18 months after the Shiv Sena suffered a vertical split, a political development that resulted in a change of guard in the state.
“If the judge (Narwekar) is going to meet the accused, what should we expect from that judge,” Thackeray asked, speaking to the media at his residence `Matoshree’ here. The affidavit before the SC was filed on Monday, the former CM said.
Thackeray’s ally and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) founder Sharad Pawar, too, said that when someone who is hearing a case meets the person against whom the case is being heard, it “leaves room for doubt”. Hitting back, Narwekar said Thackeray should know for what purposes a speaker could meet a Chief Minister.
“If he still levels such allegations, then his motive is very clear. There is no rule that a speaker, while hearing disqualification pleas, cannot do any other work,” Narwekar contended.
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