First day Monsoon Session of Maha Legislature turns ‘ugly’
First day Monsoon Session of Maha Legislature turns ‘ugly’
MVA Shiv Sena (UBT) NCP Congress members stage walk-out.
The first day of the monsoon session of the Maharashtra Legislature on Monday turned ugly as members of the Opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) comprising Shiv Sena (UBT), Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress staged walk-out. The reason being for the relinquishment
of Neelam Gorhe from the post of Deputy Chairperson for her switch-over of loyalties and joining Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
The agitating MVA members claimed that Gorhe, a Sena MLC, has no moral right to hold her position now. The Sena (UBT) also submitted a disqualification petition against her. The Deputy Chairperson has voluntarily quit membership of Sena. According to the 10th Schedule, she is liable for disqualification and hence we have moved the disqualification notice against her. Apart her disqualification (as an MLC) we have also moved removal notice (from the post of Deputy Chairperson) against her.
As per Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab, till such time there is a decision on the disqualification notice, she should not continue with the post of Deputy Chairperson.
A delegation of MVA legislators also met Governor Ramesh Bais at Raj Bhavan to demand the removal of Gorhe as the Legislative Council Deputy Chairperson.
Gorhe had been a firebrand woman wing leader and spokesperson of the undivided Uddhav-led Sena for two decades.
Gorhe, also a women rights activist, started her career with social service in 1987 and embraced politics through the Republican Party of India (led by Prakash Ambedkar).
In her early days, Gorhe worked for strengthening of the Dalit movement in Maharashtra and had also contested the Assembly election on the RPI’s ticket.
After a brief stint with the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, Gorhe joined the Shiv Sena in 1998 and emerged as a household name in Maharashtra for actively participating in TV debates and presenting the Sena’s views.
In 2002, Gorhe was nominated by the Sena to the Legislative Council, and continued as a member since. She was elevated to the post of Deputy Chairperson in 2019, following formation of the
Uddhav Thackeray-led
MVA government
Gorhe handled the charge of the party’s western Maharashtra chief coordinator besides working as a party whip in the Upper House. She also held the post of the party’s spokesperson and rose to be a prominent face on TV channels with her remarkable oratory skills.
A staunch Shiv Sainik, Gorhe worked in different Sena positions in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Khandesh and Konkan regions of the state besides becoming the party’s Pune district chief. She had also been among the Sena’s “star campaigners” in the elections.
When the Sena-BJP combine came to power in the state in 2014, and later during the MVA government’s tenure, Gorhe’s name was at the forefront of the ministerial hopefuls, but she was not inducted into the ministry on both the occasions.
According to political observers, Gorhe’s defection was an outcome of her ambitions which she thought remained unfulfilled in the Uddhav Sena.
In a recent TV interview she claimed that after she switched loyalties to Shinde Sena, Gorhe expressed her discontent with the Uddhav Sena, since she was not getting a space to play her part in building the Sena organisation.
She further added that she was asking for time to meet Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the issues of women. She used to message (him) constantly, and sometimes she would get a reply and sometimes she didn’t.
If eight or ten people had questions, only one would get an opportunity to meet (him).
She was literally tired of all these. It was impossible for her to work with such a leader. In this process she was feeling choked.
She also expressed her resentment for not being given a leadership role in the party.
Over a T.V. interview she said Uddhav made her the Deputy Chairperson, but did not deem it right to appoint her as a leader. Well, she wasn’t made a leader, that’s fine, but wasn’t there any other woman who could have been appointed as a leader?” interview. She had merits, but was still sidelined. Maybe they did not want people with merits and intelligence in the party fold.
News input KV Raman
