Ignore orders of ‘unconstitutional’ Maha govt: Sanjay Raut to officials

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief spokesperson and MP Sanjay Raut on Friday called upon the state bureaucracy and police not to ‘heed’ the orders or directives of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis’ government which has been rendered ‘unconstitutional and illegal’ by the Supreme Court verdict.

“The SC judgement is very clear on this aspect. This ‘illegal’ government has to go within three months. We are waiting for the decision of the Speaker on the disqualification of 16 MLAs, but the apex court verdict has declared the entire government as ‘unconstitutional’, and even the remaining 24 MLAs will be disqualified now,” said Raut.

He accused the Shinde-Fadnavis duo of spreading ‘misinformation’ and half-truths about the SC judgement claiming it as a ‘victory’, and pulled up some sections of the media which termed it as a ‘relief’ for the state government as “tantamount to potential contempt of the Supreme Court”.

“In view of the developments, all the decisions, orders, etc., of the Shinde-Fadnavis government are rendered illegal… I call upon the officials and police not to follow any orders of this ‘unconstitutional’ regime, or it could spell consequences even for them later,” warned Raut darkly.

Training guns on the Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar, the Rajya Sabha MP said that he (Speaker) is expected to give his decision on the disqualification of 16 MLAs, including CM Shinde.

“Until then, this government has lost the moral authority to make any decisions or issue orders, the bureaucracy and police must not obey any orders of Shinde-Fadnavis, come what may, or it could result in a situation of anarchy,” said Raut.

He also described Narwekar — who has earlier been with Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, the (original) Shiv Sena and now the BJP — as a man without ideological commitments and only interested in power.

Raut reiterated that after the SC’s directions on Thursday asking the Speaker to take the decision on the matter of 16 MLAs’ disqualification within a reasonable period, “this ‘illegal and unconstitutional’ Shinde-Fadnavis government is destined to collapse very soon”.