Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil calls Speaker shameless, suspended from House
Ajit Pawar apologises on behalf of Jayant Patil and announces the boycott of the Assembly.
3 min read
Nationalist Congress Party workers protest over suspension of the party State President Jayant Patil from the Winter Session, in Solapur, Maharashtra, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022. (PTI Photo) Maharashtra NCP president and senior MLA Jayant Patil was suspended Thursday for the entire winter session of the Assembly after he asked Speaker Rahul Narvekar “not to behave like a shameless person”. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil presented a resolution recommending Patil’s suspension. Narvekar put the resolution to vote and it was accepted by the majority.
Known to be close to NCP supremo Sharad Pawar, Patil had handled departments such as finance, home and water resources when he was a minister.
The Assembly witnessed angry exchanges between the ruling and Opposition sides throughout the day. MLAs of the ruling BJP and Eknath Shinde-faction disrupted the House multiple times seeking an inquiry by a special investigation team (SIT) into the death of Disha Salian, manager of the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput. Despite requests, Opposition MLAs were not allowed to speak. After Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced an SIT in the Salian case, Leader of the Opposition Ajit Pawar requested Narvekar to let other Opposition MLAs speak as well.
As Narvekar refused the request, Opposition MLAs protested in front of him. As repeated requests from the Opposition were denied, an angry Patil shouted at Narvekar asking him “not to behave like a shameless person”.
Chief Minister Shinde then demanded Patil’s suspension. As ruling MLAs gathered to confront the Opposition, Narvekar adjourned the House. After multiple adjournments and meetings between the ruling and Opposition parties, the House assembled again at 3.30pm.
NCP MLA Jayant Patil (C) after he was suspended for the ongoing Winter Session of Assembly at Vidhan Bhawan in Nagpur, Thursday, Dec 22, 2022. (PTI Photo)
Excise Minister Shambhuraj Desai said that Patil’s behaviour was unpardonable and demanded that the senior MLA be suspended to set an example.
Before boycotting the House, Ajit Pawar said he accepted the majority decision and apologised on behalf of Patil. “What happened inside the Assembly should not have happened. Many times certain words are uttered in the flow of speaking. We have all been requesting to let the Opposition members speak as well. We accept the majority vote. I apologise on behalf of Jayant Patil. We all have respect for you. We all boycott the House asking you to understand the Opposition’s feelings,” he said.
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