BJP makes U-turn on MLA suspension

After suspending Congress MLA Aslam Sheikh for a day on Tuesday, the BJP took a u-turn in the Assembly on Wednesday and said that he had just been warned and not suspended. Speaker of the House Haribhau Bagde, BJP MLA Yogesh Sagar who was in the Speaker’s chair on Tuesday and other BJP MLAs denied that the MLA had been actually suspended. To everyone’s surprise, NCP leader Ajit Pawar came to the rescue of Mr Sheikh who had been warned against throwing papers in the House in protest.

Mr Pawar raised the issue in the House and asked why the media had reported that Mr Sheikh had been suspended when he was not. The Speaker said that Mr Sagar who was in the chair then had only warned Mr Sheikh but no decision was taken on it. “I will call both Yogesh Sagar and Aslam Sheikh in my chamber to resolve the issue,” Mr Bagde said.

Mr Sagar had suspended Mr Sheikh when Congress and NCP legislators were protesting in the Well in an attempt to disrupt the House proceedings on Tuesday.

However, Mr Sheikh alleged that his suspension was announced out of personal animosity between him and Mr Sagar. “The person who is sitting in the Speaker’s chair should be neutral. He does not belong to any party or caste. Everything is recorded here. It is insulting that MLAs do not trust MLAs. Why does one have to be suspended for small things ” he asked.

However, Mr Sagar said that throwing papers in the House was wrong. “I did not suspend him. I had just warned him. One should check the records of the House. The media has wrongly reported the matter,” he said.

Another BJP MLA Sanjay Kute also defended Mr Sagar and said that false news had appeared in the media.