MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra Congress president and MLA Nana Patole on Tuesday was suspended for a day from the Maharashtra State Assembly for allegedly using an unparliamentary word against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a discussion on farmers' issues.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Nana Patole, who was once the Speaker of the State Assembly, should have been well aware of the decorum of the House. However, he rushed to the Speaker's dais and used unparliamentary language against Prime Minister Modi.
State Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar said that in his capacity as Speaker, he decided to suspend Mr. Patole for a day for using the unparliamentary word against the Prime Minister.
On the second day of the Assembly session, Congress MLA Nana Patole raised the issue of remarks made by Agriculture Minister Manikarao Kokate and BJP leader Babanrao Lonikar against farmers. He demanded an apology from the ministers as well as Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for what he called an insult to the farming community.
Patole said that the Agriculture Minister had called farmers beggars and even alleged that they misuse farm loans for their children's weddings. He also objected to Lonikar’s remark that Modi is providing everything to farmers, from clothing to seeds and fertilizers, like a father.
Raising his voice on the floor of the House, Patole said, "Narendra Modi may be the boss of BJP and Babanrao Lonikar, but he cannot be the boss of farmers or us."
Patole then entered the well of the House and rushed to the dais of the State Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar, demanding an apology and a discussion on the issue.
After being suspended for a day, Patole said that having resigned from his Member of Parliament (MP) post earlier for the sake of farmers, a one-day suspension meant little to him. He added that he was ready to give up his MLA post and even his life for farmers.
“They came to power promising loan waivers, minimum support price for crops, and 24/7 free electricity to farmers. Now they insult the same farmers. This is the arrogance of power — but we will not tolerate the insult of farmers. We will continue fighting for them. No matter how much they try to silence us, we will not back down,” Patole said.