Uddhav Thackeray MLC election: List of governors who have murdered Constitution using their powers is quite long, says Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Sunday attacked the opposition party BJP over the pending approval of state Governor to nominate Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as an MLC.

Sanjay Raut said that BJP party is "frustrated" and it should understand that Uddhav Thackeray will continue to be the state CM even after the completion of his six months in the office.

In his weekly column "Rokhtok" which is published in 'Saamana', Raut also stated that parties in the centre have adopted a policy of weakening the states where their party is not in power in the last 60 years, and that late PM Indira Gandhi had dismissed non-Congress governments in nine states.

As per the Constitution, a minister or a Chief Minister, who is not a member of either of the houses has to be elected to either of the Houses within six months of being sworn into the post, failing which the person must resign.

"The Centre''s act of not allowing governments of other political parties to remain in power in other states is a mob-rule mentality working within the framework of Constitution. The BJP has been fighting against such mob-rule mentality for years," Mr Raut said.

The Rajya Sabha MP said he didn't foresee such a scenario in Maharashtra that could potentially usher in anarchy.

"When I had recalled the shameless act of then governor of Andhra Pradesh Ram Lal (in early 1980s), BJP leaders Narayan Rane and Ashish Shelar linked it with governor Koshyari and in a way insulted their own leader," Mr Raut said.

"They should know that during those days, the oath was administered to one Bhaskar Rao as chief minister of then Andhra Pradesh when incumbent CM N T Rama Rao was undergoing medical treatment in the US. The governor (Ram Lal) acted at  the behest of then Central government," he said.

Attacking the BJP over gubernatorial appointments, Mr Raut said, "....The list is quite long, from (appointment as governor) of Romesh Bhandari in Uttar Pradesh to recent case of Vajubhai Vala in Karnataka where the governors have murdered the Constitution using their powers".

Mr Raut said the Opposition party in Maharashtra had lost its "sense of differentiating between right and wrong".