Maharashtra: Gripe over Whip spills to assembly

Governor Ramesh Bais (centre, in brown shoes) along with CM Eknath Shinde and others at the start of the budget session at Vidhan Bhavan on Monday. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

The bickering between the two Shiv Sena factions over the interpretation of the Supreme Court immunity against the party whip spilled over to the first day of the budget session of the Maharashtra assembly.

Like it did on the day of the SC's ruling, the election commission-approved Shiv Sena maintained that all Shiv Sena MLAs, across both factions, are bound by any whip issued, adding that it will not take any action for at least two weeks if the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) legislators defied it.

The Thackeray group, however, insisted it was not bound by whips from the Shinde group, which was last week officially allotted the Shiv Sena name and symbol.

The Supreme Court, during an urgent hearing last week, asked the Shinde group if it will refrain from issuing whips binding on the Thackeray faction. The ruling group agreed, after which the court set the matter for two weeks later. The Shinde group insists its commitment is only for those two weeks, while the Thackeray group maintains that it lasts till the special leave petition is fully settled in court.

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First day, first whip

On the first day of the budget session on Monday, Shiv Sena's Bharat Gogawale issued a whip asking all party members to attend the session. It is routine for parties to issue such diktats, and they might issue more specific ones as the session progresses. Those legislators defying the party whip face disciplinary action.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sunil Prabhu, who was named chief whip of the Thackeray faction, said his group legislators were not bound by orders from the other group. "They cannot issue whips to us. And they have given a submission to the Supreme Court," Prabhu said.

Search for an office

Monday also saw the Thackeray faction searching for a legislative office, as the original Shiv Sena office in the assembly was taken over by the Shinde faction. They met at the office of the opposition leader in the Council, Ambadas Danve. Later, accompanied by senior opposition leaders, the Thackeray faction met Speaker Rahul Narvekar to demand a new office in the
Vidhan Bhavan.

Mum's not impressed

Nationalist Congress Party legislator Saroj Ahire was left disappointed by the crèche (hirakani kaksha) at the Vidhan Bhavan. Ahire had made news when she attended the winter session in Nagpur in December carrying her infant to the House, where
she was provided with a special room. On Monday, Ahire complained the crèche was dirty, didn't have a washroom attached and the sofa covers were torn and dusty. "How can I leave my child there [with an attendant] while I am in the House? The Legislature Secretary had given orders, yet this is the situation," she said, adding that she will return to Nashik if the room is not cleaned up.