MUMBAI: Taking an aggressive stand against the BJP in the Maharashtra Assembly, Shiv Sena members pushed their demand to revoke the pardon given to suspended Legislative Council member Prashant Paricharak forcing the house to be adjourned a couple of times on Monday.
Paricharak, a former NCP leader turned BJP supporter, was suspended for insulting wives of army jawans last year. However, his suspension was revoked in the Legislative Council last week amidst din. Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray took a firm stand against the pardon to Parcharak forcing his men to protest against the ally.
The party members staged demonstrations against the pardon given to Parcharak at the Assembly complex gate. The continued sloganeering even after the house resumed for the day forcing adjournment. The party won’t accept the pardon and would demand his permanent suspension, said party chief whip Sunil Prabhu.
Meanwhile, when the house resumed business after adjournment, industries minister Subhash Desai asked chief minister Fadnavis to announce the state’s stand on the Nanar refinery project in Ratnagiri district.
Local people are opposed to the Rs 1.45 lakh crore project. Nine gram panchayats in the area have passed resolutions opposing the proposed project, and people from 14 villages are opposing the process of survey for land acquisition, making the acquisition difficult, Desai told the house.
“I have written to the chief minister, asking him to clarify the state’s position,” Desai added saying that under the land acquisition act of 2013, it is difficult to acquire land against the will of owners.
On February 15, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had met the chief minister with a delegation of local people. Fadnavis had assured the delegation led by Thackeray that he would speak to all stakeholders and the project will not be imposed on locals if their opposition continued, Desai said.
“As a result, the memorandum of understanding for the refinery (with a consortium of public sector oil companies) could not be signed during the Magnetic Maharashtra (investor) conclave. Against this backdrop, I have written to the chief minister, saying that the state's decision on the refinery should be announced, taking into consideration the strong opposition from locals and the Gram Panchayats,” the Sena minister said in his statement.