Commenting on MLAs changing their loyalties after getting elected on party tickets, Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar on Tuesday said an MLA can act as per his wish while following the law. Narvekar, who met his Goa counterpart Ramesh Tavkar in the Goa Assembly complex, was responding to a question about the defection of legislators like this coastal state. In September, eight out of 11 Congress MLAs joined the ruling BJP in Goa.
Asked if it was a “murder of democracy”, he said the final judge would be the voter. The word democracy itself says that you can act according to your will and desire within the four corners of the law.
The final test is in the hands of the voters. Voters take decisions based on the good work done by the MLA or person in their constituency, he said. Asked how he rates rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde’s performance as Maharashtra chief minister in comparison to his predecessor Uddhav Thackeray, Narvekar said it was not for him to judge a chief minister.
“I am in charge of the MLAs. He said that I leave it to the people to decide the qualification of the Chief Minister and I will do my duty to ensure that the MLAs do their duty. Shinde has held some important portfolios in the past and this experience will help him in his new role. , said the chairman.
About the practice of shortening the assembly session, which deprives the opposition of time to corner the government, Narvekar said that the legislature sessions in Maharashtra are the longest in the country. After the Lok Sabha, Maharashtra ranks among the top states for the most number of days in session, he said.
“However, I still think it can be improved,” he admitted, adding that he would try to have longer sessions during his tenure. Narvekar said that states like Goa and Maharashtra are progressive states. “To increase the depth of parliamentary democracy, I am sure that both these states and the leaders of these states will ensure that more and more time is devoted to legislative and parliamentary work in the days to come,” he said.
Tavdkar said he and his Maharashtra counterpart discussed good legislative practices in their respective states during the meeting.
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