Maharashtra Opposition Stages Walkout Demanding Revocation Of NCP Leader Jayant Patil's Suspension

Members of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) bloc on Monday staged a walkout from the Maharashtra Assembly after their plea to revoke the suspension of senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Jayant Patil was not heeded to. 

Raising the issue, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar said Patil is a senior member of the House and urged Speaker Rahul Narvekar to rescind the decision to suspend Patil for the rest of the winter session. 

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he would discuss the issue with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde once he returns from Delhi where he had gone to attend an official function. 

Patil, who heads the state NCP unit, was suspended from the House for the rest of the winter session on December 22 for his remarks against the chair. 

Patil, who had held crucial portfolios like Home, Finance, and Water Resources, is a member of the state Assembly for the last three decades

“I (Ajit Pawar) and (Chhagan) Bhujbal met the Speaker on Friday to discuss the issue with him. The punishment is strict. I had expressed regret over it. A person inadvertently says something, but he should not be given this big a punishment,” Pawar said.

Pawar said he had requested Patil be allowed to attend the House from Monday. 

He appealed to Fadnavis to end this issue.

“You are a son of Nagpur. You had been a chief minister, leader of the opposition, and now the deputy chief minister...You have seen Jayant Patil very closely. We demand to end the issue,” Pawar said.

Responding to it, Fadnavis said CM Shinde was not in the House as he had gone to Delhi. 

"I will discuss this issue with the chief minister once he is back," he said.

Unsatisfied with Fadnavis' reply, members of Congress, NCP, and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) staged a walkout.

-With PTI Input