Two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs claimed that courts were infringing their rights by making arbitrary decisions, and they asked Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to take action.
Narwekar as well as deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said they would look into the issue. BJP MLA Captain Tamil Selvan raised a point of order in the assembly regarding the issues of residents of a Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) scheme in his constituency Sion-Koliwada in Mumbai. A court said that MLAs should not to hold meetings in the SRA office, he said, adding this is indeed serious and amounts to infringement of our rights as MLAs. Ashish Shelar, another BJP MLA from Mumbai, cited two similar instances.
During the coronavirus pandemic, I noticed that a disinfectant available in the market was more effective than the one being used by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and I informed officials about it through a letter. BMC additional commissioner also held a meeting. But later, when somebody went to the court, the court issued a directive that an MLA must not hold meetings in the BMC office, he said.
We do not want to go against the court’s directives. But as people’s representatives, don’t we have the right to hold meetings with officials regarding the issues of residents of our constituencies, he asked, requesting the Speaker to look into the matter. Fadnavis informed that Tamil Salvan had brought the issue to his notice and said the issues raised by Shelar were also serious. The government will discuss it with the advocate general and take it up with the courts. Also, the government will approach the Supreme Court, if required, the deputy CM said.