Opposition should not cast aspersions on Speaker: Maha CM Shinde

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday slammed the opposition for targeting Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, and said the decorum of the House should be maintained.

Talking to reporters at the end of the winter session, Shinde said the Speaker conducted the proceedings very well. "He is well versed with the rules of the legislature and law....Never before the Speaker has been targeted in such a manner," the CM said to a question about the opposition seeking to move a no-trust motion against Narwekar.

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''It is wrong to criticise the Speaker in this manner," he added. Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said all opposition leaders spoke for at least one hour during the session. "If they are not satisfied, we will give them more time in the next session," he added.

Both Shinde and Fadnavis expressed satisfaction at the proceedings of the legislature. Their government took decisions for the welfare of the people, the two leaders said. Winter session was held in Nagpur, the state's second capital, after two years, Shinde noted.

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If the government had not changed, this would not have been possible, he quipped. Fadnavis, meanwhile, also took a jibe at Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray who is a member of the Legislative Council. "Those who speak about democracy attended the legislature's proceedings for only 46 minutes," Fadnavis said.