MNS leader suspended over unparliamentary remarks

Just days after MNS leader Ram Kadam's suspension order was revoked, another MNS leader Pravin Darekar has been handed out a suspension. The incident in the assembly took place when chief minister Prithviraj Chavan ended his response on a discussion moved by the opposition. The entire opposition was staging a walkout in protest and Darekar used certain derogatory terms against the CM, claimed members from the ruling group.

Unlucky: Pravin Darekar was given a year's suspension. File pic

The turmoil over this triggered a few adjournments, and after some time Harshvardhan Patil moved a request towards Darekar's suspension for a period of one year. Their leader's ouster came as a huge shock to MNS, as till recently party member Ram Kadam was facing suspension for allegedly roughing up traffic cop Sachin Suryavanshi. The order against him was revoked on July 24.

In another incident, senior Sena member Diwakar Raote was suspended from the council. The Congress-led Democratic Front government decided to move a bid of suspension against Raote, after he allegedly misbehaved with state council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh inside the latter's chamber.

The incident, according to the government, occurred when a group of senior leaders from BJP and Shiv Sena were parleying with the chairman to end a stalemate over discussions on the irrigation scam. Here, Raote allegedly abused and insulted Deshmukh, said parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Patil while advancing the proposal of suspension for a period of six months.

Stormy days
A seething opposition led by BJP has decided to bring no-confidence motions against presiding officers of both houses. Leader of opposition in the assembly Eknath Khadse announced the decision to advance such a proposal against state council chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh, and said that a similar motion against assembly speaker Dilip Walse Patil was under active consideration.

Speaking to the media, representatives of Sena, MNS and BJP lashed out against the government. "I did not misbehave with chairman Deshmukh," Raote maintained. Darekar claimed that there was no evidence that he had used unparliamentary language. "The government is doing this to shield corruption," alleged Khadse.

Now, as the opposition has announced that it will likely bring no-confidence motions against the presiding officers of both houses, the government may have to work overtime to defuse the potentially explosive situation.u00a0