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Journalism of Courage
One of the key questions that the June 2022 Maharashtra political crisis threw up was pertaining to the role of the Speaker. After Thursday’s Supreme Court verdict on the matter, focus has again been renewed on the post, now occupied by Rahul Narvekar. He will now decide the fate of 16 MLAs, including Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, whom the Uddhav Thackeray wants disqualified, with the Supreme Court maintaining status quo.
Narvekar, who has been in the Shiv Sena, NCP and joined the BJP only in 2019, is currently in London on a “pre-decided” tour. He is likely to return to Mumbai on May 15.
After the verdict, Narvekar said: “The Supreme Court has said that the Speaker will decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs. There was no clarity (earlier) whether a political party or legislature party can decide on the Whip. Now that the honourable SC has given a clear interpretation, we will accordingly decide.”
A first-time MLA from South Mumbai’s Colaba Assembly seat, Narevekar was considered a surprise pick for the post. He was named for the post a day after the Shinde faction of the Shiv Sena and the BJP came to power on July 1. After the storm that was the preceding month, the BJP leadership hoped to send a message with the appointment to the Speaker seat, which had been lying vacant since January 2021.
Narvekar’s family is well-entrenched politically, having played a role in the local administration in Mumbai’s Raigad and Colaba areas. His is father-in-law is senior NCP leader and former Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Naik-Nimbalkar.
Narvekar had a prominent stint in the Sena, as the party’s face in English television media, and as a confidant of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray. Aaditya once mentioned their proximity in a speech in the Assembly.
In 2014 though, Narvekar quit the Sena to join the NCP ahead of the Lok Sabha polls. He was fielded by the NCP from the Maval parliamentary seat. He lost but was subsequently accommodated with a Legislative Council seat.
Then, in a surprise move in 2019, he joined the BJP. The party gave him the Colaba ticket, sidelining loyalists like Raj Purohit.
Since Narvekar’s appointment as Speaker, the Opposition has on multiple occasions accused him of taking instructions from the ruling side, especially Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
In December 2022, he had an altercation with NCP state president Jayant Patil after the latter accused Nawarakar of not letting him speak in the House. At the time, Patil was suspended for the entire Winter Session of the Assembly after he said Narvekar should “not behave like a shameless person”. The Congress had also moved a no-confidence motion against Narvekar, accusing him of being partisan in House proceedings.
Narvekar is rumoured to be preparing for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections from the South Mumbai constituency — news he has so far denied.
At the time of murmurs surrounding NCP MLA Ajit Pawar’s move towards the BJP last month, Narvekar, who was on a Japan tour, had returned to India mid-way. His meeting last week with Union Law Minister Kiran Rijiju had also raised eyebrows.
