Assembly adjourned twice over PI's behaviour with Davlhare

Nagpur, Nov 26 (UNI) The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly was adjourned twice, once for 15 minutes and then again for 20 minutes, today after a prolonged wrangle over the demand for the suspension of a Police Inspector (PI) who allegedly used foul language about Legislative Council Deputy Chairman Vasant Davkhare.

The proceedings of the House were stalled after Eknath Khadse (BJP) raised the matter during question hour, saying PI, whom he identified only as Amdarkar, had spoken in front of his subordinates in very foul words about Mr Davkhare.

Amdarkar used the language immediately after Mr Davkhare had called him up a few months back in connection with a land grab case, Mr Khadse said. Four subordinates present in Amdarkar's office at the time had filed affidavits before a court about this, he said.

Amdarkar was posted in Pune at the time, and Mr Davkhare had called up about a case pertaining to the land of a woman, allegedly grabbed by a builder, he said.

As a stunned House listened in shock, Mr Khadse read out the relevant lines from a copy of one of the affidavits, including the abusive words that Amdarkar allegedly used about Mr Davkhare.

Asserting that this was a very serious matter, Mr Khadse said that the incident was evidence that the government had no control over the administrative machinery and that officials had absolutely no respect for elected representatives, leave alone the presiding officers of the two Houses of the Legislature.

Gopinath Munde (BJP) said that the matter pertained to the behaviour of an employee of the state government, and hence could be raised in the Lower House also. ''Besides, it is a question of the prestige of the presiding officers of the two Houses,'' he said.

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