Oppn continues to target reinducted Ajit Pawar

The Opposition on Tuesday continued its vociferous protest against Pawar being introduced in both the Houses as the deputy chief minister. Pradip Kumar Maitra reports.

The Opposition on Tuesday continued its vociferous protest against Pawar being introduced in both the Houses as the deputy chief minister.

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Pawar was also in the Opposition line of fire in the legislative council when the opposition demanded an SIT probe into the irrigation scam. As a result, the Assembly witnessed pandemonium and the Council was adjourned for the entire day.

Initiating an adjournment motion against the introduction of Pawar in the House as Dy CM by chief minister Prithviraj Chavan, the leader of the opposition in the Assembly Eknath Khadse reiterated it was against the constitution to introduce him as Dy CM - a post that has no validity in the constitution.

"We have no objection to his introduction as minister in the house. But we will not accept his introduction as Dy CM," Khadse asserted and questioned Pawar taking oath as deputy chief minister before the Governor.

He was supported by Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai and MNS member Bala Nandgaonkar.

There were allegations and counter allegations on the issue from both the treasury and Opposition benches that led the chair Vasant Purke to adjourn the house for an hour.

When the House re-assembled, the Maharashtra minister for protocol Suresh Shetty quoted the recent Patna high court judgement that did not object to naming any senior minister as the deputy chief minister.

Rejecting the motion, speaker Dilip Wadse-Patil, quoted an SC judgement on KM Sharma versus Devi Lal where the apex court agreed that the oath should be viewed in two parts - descriptive and substantial.