Shiv Sena asks Lok Sabha Speaker to disqualify ‘rebel’ MP

The Shiv Sena has sought the disqualification of Anand Paranjpe, its Member of Parliament from Thane, who launched a tirade against the party by sharing stage with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at a press conference in January.

The Shiv Sena has sought the disqualification of Anand Paranjpe, its Member of Parliament from Thane, who launched a tirade against the party by sharing stage with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) president Sharad Pawar at a press conference in January.

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Despite this, Paranjpe remains a Sena MP and has not quit either his post or his party.

Senior Sena leader and MP Anant Geete, who wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on behalf of the party, said, “On February 29, we wrote to the Speaker asking her to take action against Paranjpe under the anti-defection law for rebelling against the party”.

If the speaker accedes to the Sena’s demand, Paranjpe could be disqualified.

Although Paranjpe did not openly rebel and move to the NCP, he has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with the functioning of the Sena and its leadership under executive president Uddhav Thackeray. Paranjpe had said that the party was ‘no longer the Sena of the yesteryears’.

Paranjpe, who has been attending the Lok Sabha, maintained that he is ‘still with the Sena and will be voting as per the party whip on issues’.