No LoP yet, Raut says ‘mob runs House’, move no-trust motion against Speaker

Mumbai: As the budget session gets underway without a leader of the opposition (LoP) in both Houses for the first time in many years, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday said MVA must move a no-confidence motion against assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar. He alleged that the assembly is being run in an arbitrary and mob-like manner."The CM was given a letter a year ago for the post of LoP, but rules [on 10% strength] are being cited. The CM says it is not my authority, it is the right of the Speaker. The person who goes to a village and makes a fuss to seize land is the Speaker," said Raut, referring to recent allegations of Narwekar interfering in a land dispute. "The person who sits in the chair of the Speaker and takes a bogus decision on Shiv Sena MLAs' disqualification will never take a decision on appointing an LoP."
He said MVA had approved Sena (UBT)'s Bhaskar Jadhav for assembly LoP and alleged that a conspiracy has been hatched to not fill the post in the legislative council either. "The CM should take into account that if such strangulation and murder of democracy is taking place in the state from which Dr Ambedkar created the Constitution, it will be recorded in history," Raut said. —Chaitanya Marpakwar