Sena-BJP MLAs fling footwear at Rahul Gandhi poster in Vidhan Sabha
Speaker Rahul Narvekar later announced an investigation into the incident and warned of strict action if it was ever repeated. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis admitted that the protest was inappropriate and would not happen again. However, he added, Gandhi needed to also refrain from insulting Savarkar.
Mumbai: Soon after senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was convicted in a defamation case in Surat, legislators from the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP created a ruckus in the state assembly over his four-month-old remarks on Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar. The legislators also flung footwear at Gandhi’s poster on the Vidhan Bhavan premises, a place where decorum is expected to be maintained.
Speaker Rahul Narvekar later announced an investigation into the incident and warned of strict action if it was ever repeated. Deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis admitted that the protest was inappropriate and would not happen again. However, he added, Gandhi needed to also refrain from insulting Savarkar.
Congress legislators objected to the incident, but chose not to agitate. A few Congress MLAs rushed to the well to register their protest and oppose the condemning motion the ruling benches were insisting on. Interestingly, they got no support from their ally, the NCP, as their legislators remained seated. State NCP chief Jayant Patil was the only NCP leader to stand with Congress members. Shiv Sena (UBT) MLAs too remained quiet on the issue.
Gandhi stoked a controversy last November when he said that Savarkar would write mercy petitions to be freed from the Andaman cellular jail and also accepted a pension from the British. He also claimed that Savarkar had helped the British government during the freedom struggle.
The demand for a condemning motion was raised by Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, who said the party would not tolerate the insult to Savarkar. “Who has given him the right to insult Veer Savarkar?” demanded Sanjay Shirsat, another Shiv Sena MLA, who asked Shiv Sena UBT legislators if they approved of the insult to Savarkar and reminded them of Bal Thackeray’s demand to honour Savarkar with the Bharat Ratna.
The Congress’ Balasaheb Thorat demanded an expungement of all the statements made against Gandhi. “A poster of Rahul Gandhi was hit with chappals inside the legislature premises,” he rued. “This has never happened before. This could happen to leaders from other parties as well, and cognisance needs to be taken.” Leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar, echoing Thorat’s sentiments, said this was not “Maharashtra’s tradition”.
Speaker Narvekar said he would go through the video recordings to investigate the incident. “Everyone should take cognisance that from now on, no unparliamentary activity will take place on these premises, else I will have to take strict action,” he said.