Uproar in both Houses over Shrihari Aney’s comments

Both Houses of the Maharashtra Legislature witnessed a huge uproar on Monday over state advocate general Shrihari Aney’s remarks over a separate Marathwada state. While the ruling ally Shiv Sena has threatened to boycott the Cabinet proceedings till he is sacked, Opposition parties have demanded treason charges should be slapped against him.

While speaking at a function at Jalna in Marathwada on Sunday Mr Aney had claimed that a gross injustice has been done to this backward region. “Marathwada state is the need of the hour as it has suffered gross injustice,” he had said.

The echo of Mr Aney’s statement was felt in the Legislature on Monday. Agitated Congress, NCP and Sena members joined the chorus demanding his resignation for his controversial remarks. Demanding his ouster and raising slogans against him, they disturbed proceedings in both Houses.

The aggressive Shiv Sena, whose politics is based on the idea of a united Maharashtra, announced that its ministers would boycott meetings of the Cabinet until Mr Aney is made to step down. “The CM has to remove Mr Aney in any circumstance because he had indulged in treason. We won’t let the Houses to function unless he is ousted,” environment minister Ramdas Kadam said.

He also demanded that suitable legal action should be taken against the state’s top legal official for “treason”.

The Congress’ Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil and NCP’s Ajit Pawar agreed with Mr Kadam. “Aney has been making controversial statements since he assumed the office. He should be removed immediately,” Mr Vikhe-Patil said. Before this development, no sooner had the Assembly assembled to transact the day’s business on agenda, than the Leader of Opposition, Mr Vikhe-Patil, move an adjournment motion demanding the sacking of Mr Aney for articulating the demand for separate statehood for Marathwada.

Senior NCP member Jayant Patil supported him.

Former Speaker and senior NCP member Dilip Walse-Patil argued that the AG could not articulate views contrary to the state’s stated position. Mr Patil demanded that the House adopt a motion calling for the removal of Mr Aney. Trying to make an intervention, minister for parliamentary affairs Girish Bapat tried to argue he had spoken to CM Devendra Fadnavis and when he comes to Vidhan Bhavan a meeting would be called to discuss the issue. Thereafter, as members cutting across party lines excluding the BJP began raising slogans, the chair adjourned the proceedings four times, before adjourning proceedings for the day amidst continued uproar.

In the Legislative Council too, the Opposition members slammed Mr Aney for his statement over separate Marathwada state.

Leader of Opposition, Dhananjay Munde, who moved the adjournment motion, said, “After demanding a separate statehood for Vidarbha, he now wants separate state for Marathwada. Tomorrow he will demand a separate Khandesh and then want Mumbai to be separated from the state.”