‘Hostile Takeover of Govt…’: Aaditya Thackeray Slams Ex-Maha Guv After SC Verdict

Hours after the Supreme Court’s verdict on the Uddhav Thackeray vs Eknath Shinde-led political crisis in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Thursday came down heavily on the former governor, stating that the “role and assistance” of Bhagat Singh Koshyari in the “hostile takeover of the government” was evident.

Stepping up his attack on the Shinde-BJP alliance in the state, the Worli MLA tweeted, “Unconstitutional. Illegal. Immoral. That is the only way to look at mindhe-bjp gaddar sarkar, especially after today’s verdict.” Notably, ‘mindha’ is a Marathi word that means someone who is repressed with obligations. It’s an attack on Shinde alleging that his faction is under the control of the BJP.

Aaditya, who served as a cabinet minister under his father Uddhav’s governance, said in a series of tweets, “The role and assistance of the earlier governor in the hostile take over of the government and suppressing democracy and the constitution is evident. He acted as a Party man, not as a Governor. If there’s any morality and shame left, the unconstitutional cm should resign. Their greed for power is evident, but morality and democracy must be supreme.”

His reaction came after the apex court said Shinde will continue as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra and it cannot restore the then Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government led by Uddhav as he resigned without facing a floor test in June last year.

The court also pulled up Koshyari and said he did not have reasons based on objective material before him to arrive at the conclusion that then chief minister Thackeray had lost the confidence of the House.

In a unanimous verdict on a batch of pleas related to the political crisis that led to the fall of the three-party MVA government following a revolt by the Shinde faction in the Shiv Sena, a five-judge Constitution bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud held that the then speaker’s decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of the Shiv Sena in the Maharashtra Assembly was “contrary to law”.

The bench said, “The governor was not justified in calling upon Thackeray to prove his majority on the floor of the House because he did not have reasons based on objective material before him to reach the conclusion that Thackeray had lost the confidence of the House. However, the status quo ante cannot be restored because Thackeray did not face the floor test and tendered his resignation.”

The top court also dealt with the question of whip and said a political party and not a legislature party appoints its whip and leader in the House.

On the disqualification proceedings of Shiv Sena MLAs, the bench said the court cannot ordinarily adjudicate petitions for disqualification under the Tenth Schedule in the first instance and the speaker must decide the petitions within a reasonable period.

In a jolt to the Thackeray faction earlier this year, the Election Commission of India (ECI) declared the Shinde group as the real Shiv Sena and allotted the bow-and-arrow symbol of the party founded by Balasaheb Thackeray to it.

(with inputs from PTI)