Sack Maharashtra Govt., demand Sena MPs

By Sandeep Dikshit

NEW DELHI, JULY 25. The dismissal of the case against the Shiv Sena leader, Mr. Bal Thackeray, by a Mumbai court this morning led to noisy scenes in both Houses of Parliament with the Rajya Sabha being adjourned for the day shortly after the lunch break following clashes between the Congress(I) and Shiv Sena members.

The Lok Sabha too was adjourned briefly after jubilant Shiv Sena MPs rushed to the Well shouting slogans in support of Mr. Thackeray and denouncing the Maharashtra Government as soon as the news of their leader's discharge became known. The members, including Union Ministers, had abstained from the Lok Sabha earlier in the day and entered only after Mr. Thackeray was discharged by the court.

Speaking after the House reassembled, the Sena's leader in Parliament, Mr. Anant Geete, charged the State Government with having broken all laws in trying to prosecute Mr. Thackeray in a case registered seven years ago. Demanding the dismissal of the State Government, which had failed on all fronts, he accused it of attempting to prosecute the Sena chief out of vendetta.

In the Rajya Sabha, the Deputy Chairman, Ms. Najma Heptullah, adjourned the House for the day after Shiv Sena and Congress(I) members insisted on being heard at the same time. While the latter wanted Mr. Suresh Pachouri to be allowed to finish his submission on an entirely different issue, the Shiv Sena MPs demanded that their leader in the House, Mr. Satish Pradhan, be permitted to speak on the Maharashtra situation.

The Shiv Sena MPs were supported by the BJP leader, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, who felt Mr. Pachouri should not be allowed to complete his submission in view of the ruling given by the Rajya Sabha Chairman, Mr. Krishan Kant, before the lunch break.

Ms. Heptullah, who took the Chair in the post-lunch session, wanted a day's time to go through the records as she was not aware of Mr. Krishan Kant's ruling. With both sides not willing to relent, the Deputy Chairman adjourned the House for the day.

The Opposition had staged a walk-out before the lunch break in protest against Mr. Krishan Kant deferring the discussion on the issue till tomorrow to enable him peruse the records in the Jaya Jaitly episode. Despite the victory in the Mumbai court, the Thackeray affair caused the Government a minor embarrassment when Mr. Krishan Kant disallowed the Minister of State for Finance, Mr. Dhananjaya Kumar, from laying papers on the table of the House on behalf of Mr. Balasaheb Vikhe-Patil of the Shiv Sena, who, along with two other Sena ministers resigned and has not been attending office ever since the Maharashtra Government decided to prosecute Mr. Thackeray.

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