The Maharashtra legislature witnessed unprecedented chaos and minor violence on the first day of its new assembly after MLAs belonging to Raj Thackeray?s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) roughed up the Samajwadi Party?s Abu Azmi for taking his oath in Hindi despite Thackeray?s diktat that all state MLAs should be sworn-in only in Marathi. The House suspended four MNS MLAs for four years for breach of privilege and insulting a woman representative, bringing the effective strength of the party which is making its debut in the assembly down to nine.
The four ? Shishir Shinde from Bhandup, Vasant Gite from Nashik, Ram Kadam from Ghatkopar and Ramesh Wanjale from Khadakwasla ? were also barred from entering the assembly premises in Mumbai and Nagpur during the period.
Azmi, a former Rajya Sabha MP who has been elected to the state Assembly from Mankhurd-Shivajinagar in the eastern suburbs as well as Bhiwandi, was locked in a war of words with Thackeray over the last few days over his decision to take oath in Hindi. Azmi had also asked for the agenda and correspondence of the House to be distributed in Hindi, inviting the wrath of Thackeray.
Before Azmi took his oath, MNS group leader Bala Nandgaonkar raised a point of order to which Azmi objected. Incidentally, SP MLA from Bhiwandi West, Abdul Rashid Tahir Momin, took oath in Marathi. As Azmi got up to take his oath, the Opposition MLAs chanted Vande Mataram and Bharat Mata ki Jai.
When Azmi started reading out his oath in Hindi, MNS members rushed to him, with Khadakwasla MLA Wanjale toppling the lectern and the mike stand. MNS men demanded Azmi take oath in Marathi, and Vikhroli legislator Mangesh Sangale and others unfurled banners.
As MNS MLAs tried to disrupt Azmi?s speech, members from the treasury benches rushed to his aid. While Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshavardan Patil and others tried to reason with the MNS men who also tried to snatch a copy of the oath, Azmi went near pro-tem speaker Ganpatrao Deshmukh?s chair and read his oath.
With the MNS raising the pitch on its sons-of-the-soil agenda, Shiv Sena members who had kept away from the ruckus for a while started shouting slogans against Azmi with Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar and others unfurling pro-Marathi placards. As Azmi got down from the stage to move towards his seat, there was a verbal duel which escalated into the MNS members roughing him up.
As Azmi scuffled with Shishir Shinde who was holding a banner, he was slapped by Ram Kadam.
While Harshavardhan Patil prevented Shinde from attacking Azmi further, Tribal Development Minister Babanrao Pachpute, Meenakshi Patil and BJP MLA Girish Mahajan tried to restrain the MNS men. Azmi?s son Farhan and his supporters, who were sitting in the viewers? gallery, threw papers and shouted slogans, forcing Ganpatrao Deshmukh to adjourn the House for half an hour.
Speaking to reporters later, Ram Kadam attributed Azmi?s decision to take oath in Hindi to ?arrogance? and alleged that he had ?insulted Maharashtrians in a pre-planned manner.? Kadam also denied that their act was pre-planned. Reacting to the development, chief minister Ashok Chavan said that the government condemned the incident in the House and it was also examining statements made by MNS leaders outside the House which could be considered provocative. ?We will take police and legal action in case of such evidence of provocative statements,? said Chavan.
Raising the ?breach of privileges? motion, minister for parliamentary affairs Harshvardhan Patil said that an unprecedented incident has occurred in which a member was assaulted, House property damaged and a woman MLA Meenakshi Patil insulted.
While MNS leader Bala Nandgaonkar said that the motion was one-sided and the ?provocation? by Azmi was being ignored by the government. Shishir Shinde, against whom the motion was moved, said that he did not disrespect any woman and dared the government to expel him.
