Have courage to point out illegality in disqualification plea decision, Speaker Narwekar tells Uddhav

Mumbai: Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar on Monday said Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray must have the courage to say what was illegal about his decision on the disqualification petitions related to Shiv Sena MLAs.

Thackeray had criticised Narwekar after he was appointed by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla as the head of a committee to review the anti-defection law.

Thackeray had asked if the move was 'the next step towards finishing democracy in the country', while his son and former state minister Aaditya Thackeray had sarcastically asked if Narwekar was tasked with leading the committee since he had the experience of joining three parties in a span of five years.

Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and Jitendra Awhad of the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party too had criticised the move to make Narwekar the head of such a committee.

Hitting back, Narwekar said, "Apart from making personal comments against me, Uddhavji and Awhad do not have the courage to prove what is illegal in the decision (on disqualification petitions) I have taken. Any question about courage does not even arise with Sanjay Raut."