Maharashtra crisis: PIL against Shinde, other rebel MLAs for 'neglecting' official duties

Mumbai, Jun 27: A PIL has been filed against Eknath Shinde and other rebel Shiv Sena MLAs in Bombay High Court for "neglecting" their official duties and seeking directions to them to resume office.

The PIL claimed citizens' rights are ignored since ministers are neglecting their duties. It says "willful absence" by said ministers is conduct that affects the rights of citizens, especially related to farmers and urban issues during raining season.

Further deepening the crisis for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, another Maharashtra minister, Uday Samant, on Sunday reached Guwahati and joined the dissident camp of MLAs led by his cabinet colleague Eknath Shinde.

So far, Maharashtra cabinet ministers Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse, Sandipan Bhumre, and ministers of state Shamburaje Desai and Abdul Sattar have joined the rebel camp.

Another minister, Bachu Kadu of Prahar Janshakti Party, and an Independent minister from Sena quota, Rajendra Yedravkar, have also been camping with Shinde.

Dissident legislators of Shiv Sena, which heads the ruling coalition, have been camping in Guwahati, around 2,700 km away from Mumbai, since June 22.

A group of rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, led by Shinde, were taken to Surat from Mumbai on June 21 and then flown to Guwahati the next day. Since then, several chartered flights carrying dissident MLAs have landed at LGBI Airport.

The Maharashtra Legislature Secretariat on Saturday issued summonses to 16 of the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs, including Shinde, seeking written replies by the evening of June 27 to the complaints seeking their disqualification.

The MLAs, after receiving the notices, have been huddling inside the hotel since Sunday morning, discussing various options to respond to the notices.