Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut’s meeting with Speaker of the Lok Sabha Om Birla on Thursday has led to much speculation. Sources privy to the details of the meeting said Mr. Raut asked for the disqualification of the 12 MPs aligned with Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction.
However, sources did not comment on whether the Speaker had offered Mr. Raut any assurance on the matter.
The meeting comes a day after the Uddhav Thackeray faction filed a petition in the Supreme Court against Mr. Birla’s recognition of Rahul Shewale of the rebel camp as floor leader. Mr. Shewale was recognised as such, and Bhavana Gawali was named party’s chief whip, on July 19 after a group of MPs of the Shinde camp met Mr. Birla.
Challenging this decision, the SC petition contended that Mr. Birla’s actions had been arbitrary, without taking into account the views of the Uddhav Thackeray faction, and were contrary to the decisions of Shiv Sena and its representatives in Parliament.
"The Speaker made the impugned changes to the positions of the leader and the chief whip without adhering to basic rules of natural justice or even calling for an explanation from the Shiv Sena political party or the petitioners herein, despite categorical requests in this regard having been communicated to him," the petition said.
