Surprised at Shewale's appointment as Sena floor leader in LS: Vinayak Raut

Vinayak Raut was appointed as the leader of the Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha in June 2019 by party chief Uddhav Thackeray

Senior Shiv Sena leader Vinayak Raut on Thursday expressed surprise over Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla naming Rahul Shewale as the floor leader in the lower house and declared that the move would be challenged in the Supreme Court.

“We have been denied natural justice by the Lok Sabha secretariat. I am the floor leader of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena in Parliament. We will move the Supreme Court against the decision,” Raut told reporters here.

Read | Speaker Om Birla names Rahul Shewale as Shiv Sena leader in Lok Sabha

He said the Shiv Sena Parliamentary Party had submitted two letters to the Lok Sabha Secretariat, one informing about the appointment of Rajan Vichare as the chief whip in place of Bhawna Gawli on July 6 and another urging the Speaker not to entertain any representation from the rival faction on July 18.

“Lok Sabha authorities have given a unilateral decision without hearing us out,” Raut said, referring to the naming of Shewale as the Shiv Sena floor leader in the Lok Sabha.

Raut was appointed as the leader of the Shiv Sena in Lok Sabha in June 2019 by party chief Uddhav Thackeray.

Raut claimed the appointment of the floor leader was the right of the party president and not that of members of the legislative assembly or of parliament.

“It is unfortunate that the Lok Sabha secretariat did not take cognizance of our representations,” Raut said.