Congress's Nana Patole Suspended From Maharashtra Assembly After Climbing Speaker’s Podium
Maharashtra Congress MLA Nana Patole was suspended for a day after disrupting assembly proceedings, demanding action against BJP MLAs Lonikar and Kokate for insulting remarks about farmers.
Maharashtra Congress MLA and former Assembly Speaker Nana Patole was suspended from the legislative assembly for a day on Tuesday after an intense face-off with Speaker Rahul Narwekar. The action came after Patole climbed onto the Speaker's podium, demanding disciplinary action against BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar and Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate for making controversial remarks about farmers.
The disruption occurred shortly after the Question Hour. Patole accused the two leaders of "insulting farmers" and confronted the Speaker in protest. The situation escalated when he physically approached the podium and was seen arguing with Narwekar, prompting a brief five-minute adjournment of the House.
Once proceedings resumed, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis condemned Patole’s conduct, stating it was "unbecoming of a senior leader and a former Speaker." He demanded an apology from Patole for his aggressive behaviour. However, rather than de-escalate, Patole once again approached the podium, reiterating his demand for action against Lonikar and Kokate.
In response, Speaker Narwekar announced Patole’s suspension from the House for the remainder of the day.
Controversial Remarks Spark Outrage
The row stems from recent statements made by Lonikar and Kokate that many consider disrespectful to farmers. Addressing a gathering in Jalna’s Partur, Lonikar said those criticising the government should remember they receive “clothes, shoes, mobile phones, and money for sowing crops” due to the ruling party's schemes. Meanwhile, Agriculture Minister Kokate claimed that farmers used loan waiver funds for weddings and mocked the symbolic one-rupee crop insurance scheme, suggesting even beggars wouldn’t accept such a sum.
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