Demand for disqualification of 12 MPs; Shiv Sena's letter to Lok Sabha Speaker against Shinde group

New Delhi : Shiv Sena leaders met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday and demanded that the approval given to the appointment of Shinde faction MP Rahul Shewale as the group leader of Shiv Sena in the Lok Sabha should be revoked and 12 MPs should be disqualified.

Shiv Sena has also filed a new petition in the Supreme Court against the Lok Sabha Speaker’s decision to change the group leader. A delegation led by Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut met the Lok Sabha Speaker in his Parliament Chamber on Thursday and requested Birla through a letter to disqualify 12 MPs from the Shinde group.

Before meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker, Shiv Sena filed a new petition in the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Rahul Shewale as the group leader. On July 19, 12 MPs from the Shinde faction met Birla and submitted a letter demanding that Rahul Shewale be appointed as the leader of the Shiv Sena group in the Lok Sabha and Bhavana Gawli as the chief deputy instead of Vinayak Raut. Taking immediate notice of this letter, Birla approved the change of group leader on the same day. However, the Shiv Sena has claimed in the petition filed in the court that this approval and the action of the Lok Sabha Speaker is unilateral and illegal.

Birla was requested to listen to the Shiv Sena before taking a final decision on the Shinde group’s request to change the leadership of the group. Moreover, before the Shinde group sent a letter to Birla regarding the change of group leader in the Lok Sabha, a letter was given to Birla on behalf of the Shiv Sena regarding the appointment of Vinayak Raut as the group leader and Rajan Vikhare as the chief deputy. However, Birla unilaterally approved the appointment of Rahul Shewale as the group leader. Shiv Sena’s new petition has argued that Birla did not seek an explanation from the Shiv Sena before approving the decision to change the group leader.

Attention to Monday’s hearing

The Shinde group has applied to the Election Commission and claimed the Shiv Sena’s election symbol ‘Dhanushyaban’. A hearing in this regard will be held before the Central Election Commission on August 8. However, the Shiv Sena has already filed an application requesting the postponement of this hearing in the Supreme Court, and it will be heard on Monday.