Speaker rebukes NCP MLA for political comments as presiding officer
Rahul Narwekar said it was the responsibility of the presiding officer to maintain the letter and spirit of law and not differentiate between the treasury and opposition benches
Mumbai: Assembly speaker Rahul Narwekar on Friday reprimanded Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLA Chetan Tupe for levelling accusations against opposition members in the Vidhan Sabha on Thursday, while he was presiding over the proceedings.
Narwekar said it was the responsibility of the presiding officer to maintain the letter and spirit of law and not differentiate between the treasury and opposition benches.
While Tupe’s remarks were the first instance in recent history when a person occupying the assembly Speaker’s chair had made political allegations, he was not allowed to preside over the proceedings for the entire day on Friday. Narwekar also assured the house that the Speaker’s chair would never be used for making political comments henceforth.
On Thursday, while chairing a debate initiated by the opposition on the plight of farmers in the state, Tupe – who represents the Hadapsar assembly constituency in Pune – equated their concern for farmers with crocodile tears, setting off a controversy.
Congress MLA and former leader of opposition Vijay Wadettiwar raised the issue in the assembly on Friday, asking, “Can a presiding officer make very serious allegations against opposition members?”
Tupe had accused the opposition of shedding crocodile tears and indulging in politics on the serious issue of farmers’ plight, Wadettiwar said, adding, “I have never seen such political comments from a person sitting on the chair in the last 30 years of my legislative career.”
Other senior leaders from the opposition, such as Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Bhaskar Jadhav and Congress MLA Nana Patole backed Wadettiwar’s demand for action against Tupe.
A visibly upset Narwekar said the Maharashtra legislature was considered one of the most reputed legislative bodies and it was the responsibility of all members to maintain its dignity.
“It has never happened in the past that the comments made from the chair became part of the discussion in the House,” he said. “I would request the presiding officers to not differentiate between the letter and spirit of law. What is not mentioned in the letter should be visible in your spirit.”
The Speaker also said that he would gather information and take an appropriate decision against Tupe.
