Mumbai: The Maharashtra Assembly witnessed noisy scenes on Wednesday after the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party demanded that Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray move a resolution honouring Veer Savarkar on his 54th death anniversary.
Several BJP members arrived in the Assembly donning caps with ‘Mi Pan Savarkar’ (Me Too Savarkar) and later, attempting to embarrass the ruling Shiv Sena, demanded a resolution to honour the Hindutva ideologue.
BJP senior leader Sudhir Mungantiwar had tabled the motion before Speaker Nana Patole, saying: “In the past few days, there have been several disgusting and unpalatable statements made against Veer Savarkar. There has been an attempt to create confusion and misguide people about his role in the freedom struggle in his birth state. February 26 is his death anniversary and the State Assembly must pass a motion in his honour.”
On Wednesday, Mungantiwar said that this was also the desire of late Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray and there was no politics in the demand.
However, Speaker Patole continued with the regular house business.
Later, when the Speaker rejected the motion, agitated BJP members rushed to the well of the House carrying posters and shouting anti-government slogans.
Targetting the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis alleged that the Shiv Sena has become so helpless for power that it is siding with those who are insulting Savarkar, but the people will not forgive this.
Nationalist Congress Party leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar countered by asking the BJP why it did not announce ‘Bharat Ratna’ for Savarkar despite Fadnavis, during his tenure as Chief Minister, writing twice to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue.
