‘We also want decision at earliest’: NCP MP Sunil Tatkare on disqualification pleas after Sule writes to Speaker

Respected @ombirlakota ji,
I had filed a Disqualification Petition on 4 July 2023 seeking the disqualification of Sunil Tatkare under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution of India. It’s been 4 months with no action taken. The delinquent MP’s actions are a blatant attack on the… pic.twitter.com/gsYk2iAhFH

— Supriya Sule (@supriya_sule) November 3, 2023

Tatkare, who represents Maharashtra’s Raigad in the Lok Sabha, is the state unit chief of Ajit Pawar’s NCP. He said that apart from Sule, he has filed a disqualification petition against Lok Sabha MPs Shrinivas Patil (Satara) and Mohammad Fazal (Lakshadweep) as well as Rajya Sabha MPs Fauzia Khan and Vandana Chavan.

“Another Lok Sabha MP, Amol Kolhe, was with us when the swearing-in ceremony took place. We believe that he is with us and therefore we have not filed a disqualification petition against him,” he added.

On July 2, a group of NCP leaders led by Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle and NCP chief Sharad Pawar to join hands with the BJP, staking claim to the party name and symbol. Both groups are presently fighting out the matter in front of the Election Commission of India (ECI). In addition, both sides have filed disqualification petitions against elected representatives of the other side.

Commenting on Sule’s statement that a certain invisible power was protecting the Ajit Pawar camp, Tatkare said that such statements were made out of frustration. “Our decision is based on legal, democratic and constitutional values where a majority of MLAs stand with us. It is natural for anyone to feel frustrated over this. Such statements come out of a frustrated mindset,” he said.

Tatkare also announced a statewide tour starting from November 5 in east Vidarbha till November 8, adding that other regions will be covered in the coming days. “We will be presenting the position that we have taken under the leadership of Ajit Pawar in front of the people,” he said. The tour will have the tagline, ‘Nirdhar Nav Parvacha: Ghadyal Tech, Vel Navi’ (Determination for New Era: Same Clock, New Time).

“The politics always keeps changing, be it national or state. We will progress with our symbol clock towards a new era,” said Tatkare.