Maharashtra: Congress Seeks Clarification From MLAs Over Lack Of Opposition During Passage Of Public Safety Bill

Mumbai: Aghast over the way little of no opposition was offered by party MLAs during the passage of the Public Safety Bill in the state assembly on Thursday, the All India Congress Committee (AICC) has asked its state unit to seek clarification from its legislature wing.

According to sources, the Congress Legislature Party has been asked to clarify the role its MLAs played when the bill was introduced for passage and put to a vote. The letter, written by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) chief Harshwardhan Sapkal, was dispatched on Wednesday to Vijay Wadettiwar, the leader of the party in the state legislature. Wadettiwar himself had not been present in the House when the bill was passed by a majority. He was away in Chandrapur, his home district, to oversee District Cooperative Bank elections, it was said.

The party has 16 members in the House. But only six or seven Congress MLAs were present in the house when the bill was approved, a leader told FPJ. During the debate, other than Nitin Raut, Congress MLA Nana Patole also spoke but all too briefly. Sources claim that a note with points to be raised against the bill was sent to the party's legislative wing, but it had been comprehensively ignored.

A senior MLA, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the FPJ that the note was received after the debate on the bill was over. The party leaders, such as Nana Patole, who was a member of the joint select committee, should have submitted a note of dissent and ensured it became a part of the committee report. But it did not happen, he said. The Congress top brass is said to be unhappy. When the bill was passed in the state council, it was strongly opposed by the Congress MLCs, and later, they staged a walkout.

Congress Takes Serious Note Of Its Non-Performance In The Assembly

The Congress has taken a serious note of its non-performance in the assembly. Action is expected to follow after the clarification is received. The bill, which aims to control left-wing extremist organisations and Naxalism in urban centres, has been widely opposed. Some of the members on Opposition benches, such as Vinod Nikole (CPI-M), Rohit Pawar (NCP-SP), Nitin Raut (Congress), Varun Sardesai (Shiv Sena-UBT), expressed fear over its misuse to muzzle democratic voices.

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