Congress MLA Nana Patole was suspended for a day on Tuesday after he walked toward the Speaker’s chair while raising an objection during the Maharashtra Monsoon Assembly session. The incident occurred on the second day of the session, which also saw opposition parties staging a protest outside the Assembly gate on the occasion of Agriculture Day.
At the start of the session, Patole raised strong objections to controversial remarks made by BJP MLA Babanrao Lonikar during a recent public address. In a viral video, Lonikar is heard telling people that those who criticise the BJP and its government are still benefitting from its schemes.
“There are a few people and especially the youth who criticize us and our party on social media platforms. We gave overhead water tanks, concrete roads, function halls, and benefits of various government schemes in your village,” Lonikar says in the video.
He further adds, “Babanrao Lonikar gave salaries to mothers of those who criticize us and also sanctioned pension for their fathers. (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi gave ₹6,000 to your father for sowing. Your sister is benefiting from the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The clothes, shoes, mobile phones that you have are because of us.”
Patole demanded an apology from Lonikar on the Assembly floor. As he approached the Speaker’s chair to raise the issue, Speaker Rahul Narwekar took strong objection to the move, halted proceedings for five minutes, and announced a one-day suspension for Patole.
Following the suspension, opposition leaders including Aaditya Thackeray, Jitendra Awhad, Vijay Wadettiwar, and Patole himself staged a walkout in protest.
Speaking to the media after the walkout, Patole said, “If BJP MLAs and the Agriculture Minister are saying that Modi is the father of farmers, then Modi may be their father, but not the farmers’, this is unconstitutional. Since Modi's government came to power, farmer suicides have increased, and we will continue to fight for them. Devendra Fadnavis is anti-farmer, not us. Whether I attacked or not is visible to all, I had only demanded action.”
