Mumbai, March 26 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Thursday said that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has sparked a heated debate following his recent remarks in the Legislative Council, where he stated that directives from the Speaker or Chairperson are not “final” or “divine words (Brahmavakya)”.

It labelled this stance as a matter of “political convenience”, pointing to contradictions in the government’s previous positions.

The Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, editorial said the controversy stems from a clash in Satara involving the BJP and the Shinde-led Shiv Sena regarding the Zilla Parishad presidency. During the incident, police allegedly favoured the BJP, leading to an altercation involving Minister Shambhuraj Desai. In response, Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe, who recently joined the Shinde faction, directed the suspension of Satara Superintendent of Police, Tushar Doshi. However, Fadnavis refused to implement the suspension, arguing that the executive branch holds the ultimate decision-making power and that the chair’s directives are not absolute.

Taking aim at CM Fadnavis, the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena claimed that if directives given from the Chair are not “Brahmavakya”, then the Chief Minister should immediately declare that the January 10, 2024, decision by the Assembly Speaker regarding MLA disqualification was also not “Brahmavakya”. In a democracy, no decision from any position is beyond reproach; it is subject to judicial review. There is only one “Brahmavakya”, and that is the Constitution.

“This double standard reminds many of January 10, 2024. On that day, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar rejected the disqualification petitions filed by the Shiv Sena, headed by Uddhav Thackeray. He refused to disqualify Eknath Shinde and 15 others who had shredded the 10th Schedule of the Constitution through open defection. Furthermore, he performed the ‘feat’ of recognising the Shinde faction as the ‘real Shiv Sena’,” said the editorial.

It further added, “At that time, Fadnavis and the Shinde faction accepted that decision as ‘Brahmavakya’. They hailed it as a ‘legally sound’ and ‘historic’ victory for truth. No one mentioned the authority of the Executive or claimed the decision wasn’t final then.”

The Thackeray camp argued that if directives from the chair are not final today, then Fadnavis should immediately declare that the January 10 decision on MLA disqualification was also not a final ‘Brahmavakya.

“If Fadnavis is sincere, he should admit that the January 10 decision is equally subject to review,” it said, reiterated that in a democracy, no individual’s decision is absolute. “There is only one true ‘Brahmavakya,’ and that is the Constitution,” the editorial mentioned.

–IANS

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