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The Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party led Opposition in the Maharashtra legislature on Thursday, led by leaders Narayan Rane and Nitin Gadkari, called on Governor Dr P C Alexander at Raj Bhavan and demanded the dismissal of the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-led Democratic Front Government.
Rane and Gadkari told newspersons that they had demanded the government's dismissal as it was not interest in running the government or in allowing the legislature to function smoothly.
They claimed that there was a breakdown of the constitutional machinery in the state.
The DF Government had created an uproar over the tehelka.com tapes and prevented the legislature from adopting the motion of thanks to the governor's joint address to the legislature.
The leaders accused Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal of ''causing insult'' to the governor by not adopting his address to both Houses.
Citing a ruling by ex-speaker Kundanmal Firodiya in 1952, the leaders argued that an issue pertaining to the Centre could not be raised in the state legislature. They said that the DF was raking up a non-issue and stalling business of the House for the second consecutive day.
Rane and Gadkari stated in letters to the respective presiding officers of the House, that they were eager to transact business before the House. They said that they wanted to debate many serious issues before the House like drought affecting 20,519 villages in the state, the law and order situation and load-shedding in rural areas.
They said that the government was not interested in solving any problems, but was instead interested in creating new ones.
Earlier, both Houses were adjourned for the day after sitting for barely three minutes. The Legislative Assembly, which reassembled at 1200 hours IST was first adjourned at 1202 hours for 30 minutes. When the House reassembled at 1232 hours, Speaker Arun Gujarathi adjourned it for the day at 1233 hours.
The Legislative Council was adjourned for 10 minutes at 1302 hours by Chairman, Prof N S Pharande just two minutes after the House commenced its sitting. When the House reassembled at 1312 hours, the chairman adjourned it for the day.
As both Houses assembled for the day, members from the ruling parties and Opposition trooped into the well, shouting slogans and unfurling banners.
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