In a big relief for Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, the Supreme Court on Thursday refused to interfere with the formation of the Shiv Sena government with the support of BJP, as Uddhav Thackeray resigned without facing a floor test.
“Status quo ante cannot be restored as Thackeray did not face the floor test and tendered his resignation. Hence the Governor was justified in administering the oath to Shinde with the support of the largest party BJP,” said Chief Justice DY Chandrachud
Uddhav Asks Shinde to Resign on Moral Grounds After SC Verdict
“They (Shinde faction MLAs) betrayed my party and the legacy of my father. My resignation as the CM then may have been wrong legally, but I did it on moral grounds,” Uddhav Thackeray told reporters at his Matoshree bungalow in suburban Bandra. “How was I supposed to run a government with backstabbers?” he said. “If the current Maharashtra CM (Shinde) and deputy CM (Devendra Fadnavis) have any ethics, then they should resign after the SC ruling,” he said. Thackeray said that after the SC ruling holding as illegal the Speaker’s decision to appoint Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of Shiv Sena, Speaker Rahul Narvekar has to take into consideration Sunil Prabhu as the whip of his Shiv Sena while deciding on disqualification of 16 rebel MLAs.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde hailed the Supreme Court’s verdict and called it a ‘victory of truth’. “This is the victory of truth. In a democracy, the majority is important. Nobody is above the law. We formed the government within the framework of the law. It was a government of a majority. Supreme Court has ratified it today,” Shinde said while addressing a news conference at Sahyadri, Mumbai.
Former Minister Aaditya Thackeray called for resignation of corrupt CM and fresh elections after Supreme Court verdict on Maharashtra political row. “If you look at today’s order, I have always said that this is a Government of traitors and it’s proven today. The current corrupt CM should resign and face election,” he told ANI.
Former Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari said, “I think after SC’s decision, I don’t have anything to say. Whatever I felt was right at that time, I did that. SC has decided in favour of the Shinde government. I respect what the SC said, but they have not asked for any reply from me. SC has the full right to say. I am not saying anything in that regard. It is clear that when Uddhav Thackeray did not have a majority, he resigned.”