Maha Dy Speaker had issued notice to rebel MLAs under pressure: Shrikant Shinde

Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde's son and party MP Shrikant Shinde on Monday said Maharashtra Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal had sent the disqualification notice to his father and 15 other dissident legislators under pressure which is evident from the supreme court order.

In a relief to rebel Shiv Sena lawmakers, the apex court on Monday kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly till July 11 and sought responses to pleas by rebel MLAs questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification.

The top court also refused to pass any interim order on the plea of the Maharashtra government that there should not be any floor test in the Assembly and said they can always approach it in case of illegality.

Shivsainiks supporting local strongman Eknath Shinde burst crackers at various places in Thane city celebrating the Supreme Court order.

Sainiks carried saffron flags and placards hailing Shinde and shouted slogans in his support.

Shrikant Shinde termed the SC order as the ''victory of truth and Hindutva''.

“I welcome the decision of the Supreme Court. This is the victory of the truth and Hindutva. Wherever is dharma there is victory,'' he said.

Without taking any names, he said the ruling was a slap on the face of the person who had issued a “tughlaki” order of disqualification of the (16) MLAs.

He said the party whip is not applicable for meetings other than the ones convened for legislative work.

“The speaker has rights in the Assembly. He has the power if anyone goes against the whip in the legislature. It does not apply to anyone not coming for any meeting. The 'tughlaqi farman' (the disqualification notice) was issued (by him) under pressure and the court has shown that today,” Shinde, the MP from Kalyan, said.

His father and senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde is leading the rebellion against Shiv Sena leadership and has been camping in Guwahati with a majority of Sena legislators.

Earlier in the day, Shrikant and scores of loyalists visited the 'Shakti Sthal' memorial of the late Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe here.

He had said that party leader Sanjay Raut should watch his mouth, a day after the latter's ''bodies without souls'' remarks against the dissident MLAs camping in Guwahati caused a flutter.

The MP also said Raut should be careful about the choice of words as he is also the father of someone and his family is watching his remarks.

''This is not the culture of Maharashtra. The state is watching the manner in which he is passing comments. This happens when one realises that power is slipping out of hand,'' he said.

Addressing Shiv Sena cadres in Mumbai on Sunday, Raut said,''We have learnt a lesson on whom to trust....These are bodies whose souls have died. Their mind is dead....40 bodies will come from Assam and will be sent directly to the morgue for postmortem''.

The remarks are seen as a reference to Shinde and other MLAs camping in Guwahati.