Oppn demands AG's resignation over Vidarbha remarks; Council

Nagpur, Dec 10: Maharashtra Legislative Council was on Thursday, Dec 10 adjourned for the straight fourth day amid a ruckus, with Opposition demanding resignation of Advocate General of Maharashtra Shrihari Aney over his separate Vidarbha remarks.

As soon as the session began this morning, Neelam Gorhe of Shiv Sena raised the issue of 'Separate Vidarbha' under 'point of priority'.

She took the reference of the statement made by AG Aney on the issue, prompting Congress members Manikrao Thakre, Sanjay Dutta and Sharad Ranpise following suit as they demanded his resignation.

Ranpise said the appointment of Advocate General of Maharashtra is constitutional and that he cannot make such controversial statements.

Aney at a function in Nagpur this week had said that there should be a referendum on separate Vidarbha and if it is more than 51 per cent, the government should create Vidarbha and claimed that more than 80 of the population in Vidarbha was in favour of a separate statehood.

"Government should dismiss him (Aney) with immediate effect," Ranpise said. Earlier, Thakre said his question regarding separate Vidarbha statehood issue was not included in the Question Hour booklet, to which Deputy Chairman Vasantrao Dawkhare said the matter is not related to state government but with the Central government.

Dawkhare said Thakre's application on the Vidarbha issue has been submitted under section 289. Opposition members, however, continued to remain aggressive on the issue and demanded that Aney be sacked from the post.

Seeing the opposition undeterred, the House was adjourned by the chairperson, without any real business being transacted.

PTI