Ruckus in Maha council over RaGa’s remarks, barbs traded

Mumbai: The Maharashtra legislative council, which represents the state’s intellectual class through legislators elected by graduates, teachers, corporators, and assembly members, as well as those appointed by the governor himself, on Monday witnessed a disgrace to the glory it had earned over eight decades from legislative stalwarts like Jayawantrao Tilak, Vyankappa Patki, B.T.Deshmukh, Gulabrao R. Patil, G.P. Pradhan, D.B. Patil, Mrunal Gore, and, more recently, Nitin Gadkari.
The ruling and opposition benches were at loggerheads in the council to such an extent that their members traded abuses, with Shiv Sena UBT’s leader of opposition, Ambadas Danve, taking the lead in hurling insults. Both sides were on a collision course over Rahul Gandhi’s statement relating Hindus with violence and communal hatred. BJP’s party whip, Prasad Lad, and other members such as Pravin Darekar, Pravin Datke, Shrikant Bharatiya, and Ram Kadam, announced a boycott of the house proceedings until the chairman introduced a suo motu motion condemning Gandhi.
When Lad was pointing fingers at Danve, who challenged the boycott from the ruling benches by saying that Gandhi’s statement had no relevance to the house proceedings, the latter became upset and dared Lad not to repeatedly point fingers at him but towards the speaker. Enraged, Danve hurled abusive words, which took the entire council by surprise. Knowing that the debate had become too personal, Speaker Neelam Gorhe announced the adjournment. Soon after, ruling party MLCs led by Lad called on Gorhe in her chamber and demanded action against Danve.
Danve told reporters, “Being a Shiv Sainik, I know how to give a befitting answer. If anyone points their finger at me, my wrists know how to break those fingers. I am a hardcore Sena activist who has 50 cases related to communal violence registered against him and has faced externment many times. Lad, who has switched over to BJP for his personal business goals, has no moral right to teach me Hindutva.”
Darekar and Lad demanded Danve’s suspension.