Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve suspended for using foul language

Mumbai: The leader of the opposition in the state legislative council, Ambadas Danve, was suspended for five days on Tuesday for using vulgar language and swear words in his house a day earlier, on Monday. He will not be allowed to enter the Vidhan Bhavan building during this time. The decision was taken in a verbal vote, with the entire opposition walking out of the chamber as Danve could not explain what happened when he made these remarks.

MLC Ambadas Danve (Facebook image)

The action against Danve came after BJP MP Pravin Darekar filed a complaint alleging that he used foul language while responding to a debate on Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s remarks against Hindus in the Lok Sabha; the remarks were deleted from the record.

On Monday, BJP’s Prasad Lad wanted to move a motion to censure the speech of Gandhi, the leader of the opposition, in the Lok Sabha. Danve, a member of the Shiv Sena (UBT), an ally of the Congress, opposed it by resorting to profanity, leading to a heated exchange of words in the council.

As the proceedings began on Tuesday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Chandrakant Patil moved a proposal to suspend Danve, saying the reputation of the council had been tarnished. “The language used against Prasad Lad was abusive. We took it seriously,” Patil said while moving the proposal. Anil Parab of the Shiv Sena (UBT) asked for a discussion, but Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ruled out the possibility, saying there was no such precedent, following which the Opposition went on strike.

After Danve’s suspension, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray apologised for using foul language. He also criticised the Mahayuti government for unilaterally suspending him, calling the decision anti-democratic.

“I apologise to the mothers and sisters of Maharashtra for the words used by Danve. But at the same time, we cannot ignore the anti-democratic working style of the ruling alliance. They should have given Ambadas Danve an opportunity to explain his side,” Thackeray said.

Recalling an incident when a state minister hurled abusive language at NCP (SP) leader and MP Supriya Sule outside his home and no action was taken against him, Thackeray asked, “How can there be double standards in terms of abusing women?”

Danve responded to his suspension by saying that he had been wronged and the government would pay the price. “Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, 150 MPs were suspended. Today, the Leader of the Opposition (in the legislative council) was suspended, which is a constitutional position. I wanted to apologise for spoiling the atmosphere in the House, but there was no question of offering a personal apology to anyone,” he said.