Eknath Shinde Should Resign As CM If He Has Any Ethics: Uddhav Thackeray After Supreme Court Ruling
In his first reaction on the Supreme Court verdict on the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis, Uddhav Thackeray said he resigned as CM on moral grounds.
Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday said Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis should resign as CM and deputy CM if they have any ethics after the Supreme Court verdict on the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis.
"If the current Maharashtra CM and deputy CM have any ethics, then they should resign. They (now Shinde faction MLAs) betrayed my party and the legacy of my father. My resignation as the CM then may have been wrong legally, but I did it on moral grounds," Thackeray said.
Thackeray made the remarks with Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav by his side.
READ | Governor 'Erred' But 'Thackeray Did Not Face Floor Test': Supreme Court Top Quotes On Sena Vs Sena
Thackeray said the then Maharashtra Governor had no right to call an Assembly session for a floor test. "The Supreme Court said that if I had not resigned, I might have become the Chief Minister again. I am not fighting for myself, my fight is for the people, for the country," Thackeray said.
In an indirect swipe at BJP, Thackeray said those who enslave the country will be soon set to jail. "We are fighting to save the Constitution. It is our job to protect democracy in this country," he further said.
In a big relief for the Shinde-BJP government, the Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Uddhav Thackeray could not be restored as Chief Minister as he resigned before the floor test.
"Status quo ante cannot be restored as Thackeray did not face the floor test and tendered his resignation. Hence, the Governor was justified in administering oath to Shinde with the support of the largest party BJP," the court said.
However, the top court said the Governor "erred in relying on the resolution of a faction of MLAs of Shiv Sena to conclude that Thackeray had lost support of the majority of MLAs".
The CJI-led bench made it clear that neither the Constitution nor the law empower the Governor to enter the political arena and play a role either in inter-party or intra-party disputes.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Anil Parab said the Supreme Court's judgment was in favour of Uddhav Thackeray. "It is on record that there was a violation of Whip and soon they (Shinde faction MLAs) will be disqualified," Parab said.
Sanjay Raut stressed that Sunil Prabhu of Uddhav Thackeray faction of Sena remained the official whip as per SC observations and thus, 16 rebel MLAs, including CM Shinde, stand disqualified.
"Sunil Prabhu remains the official whip of Shiv Sena as per SC's observations, so rebel MLAs stand disqualified," Raut said.
Raut also asserted that since the process of formation of the government was illegal, the Shinde government was illegal.
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