Mumbai: The 40 Shiv Sena MLAs belonging to the Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s camp have filed replies to the disqualification notices served to them by the office of Speaker of the legislative assembly Rahul Narvekar. Each of the replies measure 6,000-6,500 pages long, officials said on Thursday.
Speaker Narvekar had, on Wednesday, said that the action won’t be delayed.
The notices were served before the monsoon session began on July 17 asking the MLAs to file their replies within two weeks. The 40 MLAs belonging to the Shinde faction had sought more time to file their reply and they were given two more weeks.
The extended deadline to the file reply ended on Wednesday. While replying to queries in this regard, Shiv Sena MLA and party spokesperson Sanjay Shirsat said each MLA has filed a reply measuring 6,000-6,500 pages.
Yogesh Kadam, another party MLA, said the replies they have sent are different from those furnished by the 16 MLAs, he added.
“A long reply does not mean we are wasting the time”
Education minister and Shinde faction leader Deepak Kesarkar told reporters that “a long reply does not mean we are wasting the time.”
“If the annexure to the reply is big, the number of pages goes up,” he said, denying that sending lengthy replies was a deliberate attempt to waste time.
Speaker Rahul Narwekar, on Wednesday, had told reporters that the hearing on the disqualification petition will start soon.
“I can assure you that there will not be any delay in the process. The other processes are being completed. We will follow all the rules and make appropriate decisions,” he added.
