Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray has threatened to challenge the legality of the post of Deputy Chief Minister if his party is denied the post of Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the legislative assembly and the legislative council.
“To keep democracy alive, there should be a Leader of the Opposition in the House. That post exists, but no one has been appointed to that post. Therefore, the Leader of the Opposition should be appointed as soon as possible. I have only one thing to say to this government and the leaders of both the Houses (legislative assembly and the legislative council): if you continue to go against the rules, then I will raise the issue of the Deputy Chief Minister’s post,” Uddhav Thackeray said, after he met Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar as well as Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde in Nagpur on Monday and submitted a memorandum regarding the appointment of a Leader of the Opposition in both the Houses.
“I have brought up the issue of the Deputy Chief Minister’s post to their attention. Because that post is also not constitutional. If you bring a legal obstacle to the post of Leader of the Opposition, then we will oppose the post of Deputy Chief Minister. Some people use the title of Deputy Chief Minister before their names. This title is being put before the names of people who are not wanted. This post of Deputy Chief Minister should be abolished immediately,” Uddhav Thackeray told media persons.
“The opposition had recommended the names of two MLAs for both the posts, but leaders of both the Houses have not yet taken any action on it. The right to decide on the post of Leader of the Opposition lies with the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and the Chairman of the Legislative Council. So, as per rules, we approached both of them and requested them to appoint a Leader of the Opposition, since presently there is no Leader of the Opposition in either House,” Uddhav Thackeray said.
“We have requested both of them to decide on the post of Leader of the Opposition by the end of this winter session. The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly said that it is being considered, but they told us the same thing during the last assembly session as well. They had promised to take a decision as soon as possible, but that day did not dawn,” Uddhav Thackeray told media persons.
“We expect both the Houses (Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council) to get a Leader of the Opposition before the end of the winter session. We are raising the questions of the people, which is our duty. But the Leader of the Opposition has a status. He can speak to the administration and officials with authority and ask questions. He can hold the government accountable based on the information received. However, this government seems to be thinking that it does not want a Leader of Opposition at all,” Uddhav Thackeray said.