Follow ‘raj dharma’: Sena to Maha governor on posts of MLCs

A day after Shiv Sena MLA Sanjay Rathod resigned from Maharashtra cabinet amid a row over the death of a woman, the saffron party on Monday praised Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray for doing his duty and asked state Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to follow his ‘raj dharma’ by nominating 12 MLCs from his quota.

In the editorial in the party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Sena described Koshyari as a ‘BJP-appointed governor’ and accused him of delaying the decision to nominate 12 members as MLCs from his quota, which the Thackeray-led party alleged is “against the Constitution”.

“The (ruling) Maha Vikas Aghadi government indeed has the mace in its hand. We are saying that Chief Minister Thackeray is following his ‘raj dharma’ because of this only,” the Sena said.

The party said the Opposition BJP also has the responsibility of discharging ‘raj dharma’.

“The BJP-appointed governor has more such responsibility. The governor not approving nominations of 12 MLCs from his quota means (he is) not following ‘raj dharma’,” the Sena said.

Accusing the BJP of trying to derive a political mileage out of the death of the 23-year-old woman from Pune, the Sena said that BJP leaders displayed no sensitivity about the alleged suicide of Dadra and Nagar Haveli MP Mohan Delkar in Mumbai.

“The BJP should pursue the Maharashtra government for arresting the persons responsible for the death of Delkar,” the Sena said.

Delkar, seven-term MP from the Union Territory, was found dead in a south Mumbai hotel room on February 22. A suicide note in Gujarati was also found at the spot.

CM Thackeray on Sunday said he will request Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to direct the authorities in Dadra and Nagar Haveli to cooperate with Mumbai police in the probe in Mohan Delkar’s death.

The Sena said Rathod spoiled the Opposition’s plans to disrupt proceedings of the Budget session, which began on Monday, by resigning on Sunday.

The MVA government comprising the Sena, NCP and Congress had in November last year recommended 12 names to the governor to be nominated as MLCs from the latter’s quota., but the decision on the same is pending.