Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao faced protests outside the assembly. (Photo: PTI)
Five Congress legislators from Maharashtra have been suspended for allegedly manhandling and injuring Governor C Vidyasagar Rao at the assembly premises on Wednesday evening. Congress and Shiv Sena MLAs were protesting against the controversial confidence motion that Devendra Fadnavis' minority BJP government had won by voice vote hours ago.
Here are the latest updates in the story
As the Governor made his way into the assembly on Wednesday evening to make an address, Congress and Shiv Sena lawmakers blocked his way, making it difficult for him to walk up the stairs. They were protesting against Speaker Haribhau Bagde's decision not to hold a division vote, in which votes are recorded and counted.
Sources in the Governor's office said he has suffered minor bruises. BJP leader Eknath Khadse said the Governor had injured his left hand. "The issue does not end with an apology. This should not be tolerated," Mr Khadse said.
The five suspended legislators are Amar Kale, Abdul Sattar, Virendra Jagtap, Jai Kumar Gour and Rahul Bondre. They have claimed that they did not manhandle the Governor.
Congress leader and former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who was present, told NDTV that the Congress did "unfortunately, try to block the governor's passage, but we had no intention of insulting the governor". He also claimed the governor had not been "injured". "Not correct to say the governor was injured. It is not true. We were only trying to block the governor," said Mr Chavan.
The Governor went into the Assembly and delivered his speech. Congress legislators shouted slogans during the speech and walked out before Mr Rao finished.
Congress leader Rashid Alvi has questioned the suspension, saying, "The Speaker doesn't have the right to take action on anything that takes place outside the Assembly".
Earlier in the Assembly, the confidence motion was swiftly moved before schedule and passed by voice vote. The Shiv Sena's legislators shouted the loudest nays and trooped into the well or centre, demanding a division vote.
But BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain has claimed that the Congress and the Shiv Sena "had not demanded a division during the floor test," but only after the next point of business had been taken up. "It was only made during the decision on the Leader of Opposition," he said.
News agency Press Trust of India said senior NCP leaders including Ajit Pawar, R R Patil and Chhagan Bhujbal have said the matter should be put to rest after an apology, if the report of Governor getting injured was true.
The issue brought political rivals Shiv Sena and the Congress on the same side. They have sought a fresh trust vote alleging that the Speaker did not hold a trust vote as the BJP government did not have the numbers.
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