Rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde on Monday termed the
relief by the Supreme Court to him and other dissident Sena lawmakers as the
victory of Bal Thackeray's Hindutva and the ideals of his mentor Anand Dighe.
The Supreme Court has 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.
"This is the victory of Hindu hridaysamrat Balasaheb's
Hindutva and the ideals of (the late) Dharamaveer Anand Dighe," tweeted
Shinde, who is camping with the dissident MLAs in Guwahati.
In Thane, Shinde's son and party MP Shrikant Shinde 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.
"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," the Kalyan MP said.
Shinde and a sizable number of MLAs rebelled against the
leadership of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on June 21 and are currently in
Guwahati in Assam.
Their main demand is that the Sena withdraws from the Maha
Vikas Aghadi alliance, which also comprises the Congress and NCP.
Shinde moved the Supreme Court on Sunday against the
disqualification notice issued by the deputy speaker to him and 15 other rebel
legislators, calling the action "illegal and unconstitutional" and
seeking a stay on it.
The petition had sought directions to the deputy speaker to
not take any action in the Disqualification Petition under Rule 6 of MLA
Defection Rules pending before the Speaker of Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly
and not take any action on the same until the resolution for removal of deputy
speaker is decided.
The Maharashtra legislature secretariat on Saturday issued
"summons" to 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking
written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their
disqualification.