Desecration of the temple

A still from footage of the brawl that recently broke out in the lobby of Vidhan Bhavan. Pic/X/@PTI_News

Once hailed as a temple of democracy, Maharashtra's Vidhan Bhavan now resembles a battleground.

On Thursday, the lobby of the state legislature premises (Vidhan Bhavan), where rules and regulations are framed, was transformed into a wrestling arena, plumbing the image of the state legislature to a new low.

An extract from Dr BR Ambedkar's speech in the Constituent Assembly - ‘where constitutional methods are open, there can be no justification for these unconstitutional methods. These methods are nothing but the grammar of anarchy, and the sooner they are abandoned, the better for us' - sounds like an appropriate indictment of the current political situation in Maharashtra.

Besides clashes between supporters of two MLAs, there have been numerous occasions where members on the floor of the House engaged in heated verbal exchanges, commonly heard on the streets, be it members from the ruling party or Opposition benches, indicating a deeper rot and need for a deep cleansing of the system and of some political personalities, too.

On many occasions, members of the Legislative Assembly or Council (MLAs and MLCs) were seen passing comments like ‘kombadi chor' (chicken thief), ‘pannas khoke ekdum ok' (50 crore is absolutely ok) ‘baby penguin', and ‘mangalsutra chor' (necklace thief) at their counterparts. Both the Opposition and ruling party members are often seen at their misbehaving best, which many in the corridors of power believe is nothing but a live case study of declining decorum.

Such scenes and visuals were unusual in Maharashtra, especially since the state has produced political leaders regarded as torchbearers of democratic values.

The state legislature's image took another hit in May 2025, when Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders protested outside a Dhule guest house, alleging R1.8 crore in cash was found in a room booked under the name of Kishor Patil, said to be the aide of MLA Arjun Khotkar, chairman of the Estimates Committee. UBT claimed the money was contractor bribes, a charge Khotkar vehemently denied. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has ordered an SIT probe into the matter.

The disillusionment has deepened further with a series of controversial videos coming to the fore during the ongoing monsoon legislature session.

Shiv Sena (UBT) member of parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut shared a video of Minister Sanjay Shirshat (Shinde Sena) sitting next to a bag. Raut alleged that the bag was filled with cash, a charge Shirshat has denied, claiming the video is morphed and the bag contained clothes. Similarly, another video captured MLA Sanjay Gaikwad (Shinde Sena) physically assaulting MLA canteen workers over inferior food quality.

Forget the Vidhan Bhavan lobby, steps or premises; at times, even developments during the proceedings are not optimal. For instance, this week, tensions flared during proceedings, where a verbal spat broke out between Shinde faction minister Shamburaj Desai and UBT camp MLC Anil Parab. Desai's and Parab's spat resembled a street fight more than a debate within a democratic institution. Parab apparently referred to Desai as ‘gaddaar' (traitor), to which Desai replied, "Who are you to call me a traitor? Come out and I will show you." Such was the embarrassment that the Deputy Chairperson of the Council, Neelam Gorhe, had to order the controversial words to be expunged from the proceedings.

The irony is stark as it is the same Vidhan Bhavan that recently felicitated Justice Bhushan Gavai, a son of Maharashtra, for being elevated to the top-most judicial post - the Chief Justice of India (CJI). In his address to legislators (members of the Assembly and Council), the CJI then mentioned, "Posts are not power, they are power coupled with duty." Yet days later, that solemn message was seen drowned.

The decline is not new. In 2009, allegedly within the Assembly premises, Maharashtra Navnirma Sena (MNS) MLAs manhandled Abu Azmi for taking oath in Hindi.

Freedom fighter Vinayak Damodar Savarkar's famous line says, "History is a witness of the past, a lamp for the present, and a hope for the future." If these lines are seen in the context of today's political situation, the lamp, once burning brightly in Maharashtra's political chambers, now flickers weakly. The Vidhan Bhavan, referred to as a temple of democracy, a place where accountability is upheld and legislation is made with the aim of serving the public, today is at risk of becoming a marketplace of opportunism.

It is high time we return to the famous words of Yashwantrao Chavan, the leader who helped shape modern Maharashtra - ‘How the state is run is more important than who runs it or which party it belongs to'.

With Fadnavis, who also heads the home department; Speaker of the Legislative Assembly Rahul Narwekar, a lawyer by profession; and Chairman of the Legislative Council Professor Ram Shinde, all three stalwarts at the helm of affairs, it is expected that a concrete and a long-term plan to address the growing concern over the declining image of the Vidhan Bhavan and the political class at large is found.

After all, it is not about a brawl; it is about the soul of our democracy.

Sanjeev Shivadekar is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @SanjeevScribe

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