‘Acted faster than Rafale jet’: Sanjay Raut's swipe at governor over floor test order

Mumbai, Jun 29: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Wednesday termed the Maharashtra Governor's order for a floor test of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government as "unlawful", saying that the Supreme Court is yet to decide on the disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs.

He said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), the ruling coalition of Sena, NCP and Congress, will approach the Supreme Court and seek justice on this issue.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has issued a letter to the Maharashtra Legislature Secretary late on Tuesday night, directing him to hold a floor test of the Shiv Sena-led government at 11 am on June 30.

The governor's order came a week after the rebellion in the ruling Shiv Sena by senior minister Eknath Shinde, who has been camping in Guwahati with majority of party legislators and several independent MLAs. Their revolt has pushed the government led by Thackeray, who is also the Sena president, into a crisis.

Taking a dig at the governor, Raut said the Raj Bhavan has acted at a "jet speed even faster than Rafale" after BJP leaders met him, urging him to seek a trust vote. He reminded the governor that the file pertaining to the nomination of 12 MLCs to the Upper House of the state legislature from his quota has been pending with him for a long time.

"This (floor test order) is an unlawful activity as pleas of disqualification of 16 MLAs are pending before the Supreme Court. If such unlawful activities take place, and if the governor and the BJP trample upon the Constitution, then the SC has to interfere," Raut told reporters.

"We will go to the Supreme Court and seek justice," he said.