A Maharashtra minister and an MLA, both belonging to the ruling Shiv Sena, were seen engaging in an altercation in the lobby of the Vidhan Bhavan, the state legislature complex here, with the opposition targeting the government, terming the incident as "serious".
The fracas between Dada Bhuse, state Public Works Department (PWD) minister and Karjat MLA Mahendra Thorve, took place on the last day of the Budget session of the state legislature.
The drama unfolded just after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the party that both of the leaders belong to, went inside the Vidhan Bhavan complex along with other MLAs.
When Bhuse and Thorve argued, another minister Shambhuraj Desai and Shiv Sena's chief whip Bharat Gogawale intervened and defused the tense situation. This is for the first time that members of the ruling party engaged in an altercation in this manner in the legislature complex.
Talking to reporters later, Thorve said, "When I asked Bhuse about development works in the constituency, he raised his voice...If development works don't happen on time, what should one do?" Meanwhile, Desai said no scuffle broke out between the two Shiv Sena members.
"No cameras are allowed inside the Vidhan Bhavan building. What proof do you have?" he asked.
"The two MLAs were discussing development works, during which one of them spoke loudly. We took them inside and resolved the matter. The minister was trying to tell the MLA about the technical difficulties," he said.
The issue also resonated in the legislative council with Leader of Opposition Ambadas Danve seeking clarification on the issue. This led to a ruckus by the opposition members in the House prompting Deputy Chairperson Neelam Gorhe to adjourn the proceedings for an hour.
In the assembly, opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) legislators said two members of the House clashed in the Vidhan Bhavan lobby, and termed the incident as "serious". They demanded that the House be adjourned to give time to the government to issue a statement over the issue.
Congress MLA Prithviraj Chavan asked if the CCTV footage can be accessed. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said he has spoken to Bhuse and Thorve, and both of them denied that there was any scuffle between them.
