Mumbai: A petition was filed in the Bombay High Court on Thursday by a social worker, seeking a direction to the Maharashtra Governor to decide on the state cabinet’s recommendation to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to the Legislative Council through his quota.
The petition, filed by one Surinder Arora through his advocate S B Talekar, noted that with the COVID-19 outbreak the administration of every establishment across the world has come to a standstill.
“The BJP as part of its political game plan is trying to make Uddhav Thackeray step down from the post of chief minister with the help of Maharashtra governor (B S Koshyari).
However, today is not the time to play politics when the state has to fight the battle against coronavirus,” the plea claimed.
The petition sought the court to direct the governor to take a decision on the proposal submitted by the cabinet expeditiously or within three days.
Arora’s plea is likely to be taken up for hearing on May 5.
“In India, the Election Commission of India has postponed all elections across the states. Owing to this, the chief minister of Maharashtra, who is a non-legislator, will not be in a position to become a member of the Legislature within a period of six months from the date of his appointment,” the plea said.
The government of Maharashtra will be destabilised due to non-availability of chief minister, which will prove to be a disaster in such challenging times, it added.
The plea said that the governor has not yet taken a decision on the recommendation made by the council of ministers despite a lapse of 20 days.
“The petitioner being a citizen of India and a valid voter is seeking a direction to the governor to decide upon the recommendation as expeditiously as possible so as to avoid a situation of a destabilised government in such crucial times,” the plea said.
Thackeray, who is not a member of either house of the state legislature, was sworn in as chief minister on November 28, 2019. He has to become a member by May 28 when he completes six months in office. Otherwise he will cease to the chief minister.
The Maharashtra cabinet had on April 9 recommended Thackeray’s nomination as one of the governor nominees in the Legislative Council.
A delegation of MVA leaders led by deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar met the governor on Tuesday, and handed over the cabinet decision’s copy to him.
The recommendation was made as all elections have been postponed by the Election Commission due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Once the governor accepts the cabinet’s recommendation, Thackeray will continue in the post.
Also read: Unelected Uddhav Thackeray has a month to save CM job. Constitution gives him these options
Thackeray and close aides meet Governor
Shinde and Shiv Sena leader Milind Narvekar on Thursday called on Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari, the latest in a series of meetings amid uncertainty over nomination of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to the legislative council.
Shinde, a senior Sena leader and the urban development minister, and Narvekar, a close aide of Thackeray, called on the Governor at Raj Bhavan this evening, sources said.
What transpired at the meeting was not immediately known, but it took place a day after Thackeray spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the phone and told him that attempts were being made to create political instability in the state, sources had said on Wednesday.
The state cabinet has twice made recommendation to Koshyari requesting him to nominate Thackeray to the Upper House from the Governor’s quota, but there has been no response from Raj Bhavan.
A delegation of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) leaders met the Governor on Tuesday and handed him a copy of the cabinet recommendation.
Earlier, Shiv Sena MP Arvind Sawant, along with Narvekar, had called on Koshyari.
Thackeray, who is not a member of the state legislature, was sworn in as chief minister on November 28, 2019.
As per constitutional norms, Thackeray has to become a member of either house of the legislature by 28 May to continue in office.
Also read: If Uddhav Thackeray bows before Arnab Goswami’s dare, he will only weaken himself before BJP
The nastiness of the Governor is quite visible here. He could ask the President of India in the past to lift the President’s rule in the state at the dead hour of the night and sworn oath of chief ministership to Mr Fadnavis with lightening speed even without following the usual norms to hold such an oath-taking ceremony. And now here is a case where an already incumbent chief minister is seeking to fulfil the constitutional obligation by submitting the recommendations of his cabinet to the Governor well over a month before the deadline ends. And the governor is sitting pretty on the recommendations on petty excuses hampering in the process the efficiency of the CM while running the government with the covid pandemic on. Is not Mr Koshyari making a mockery of the oath of his office and playing politics at the cost of people’s lives? Hope sanity descends on him at the earliest now.
Sorry, it should be “lightning” at a place in my original text above.
why go beg with begging bowl when you choose the different path?