Mumbai: In an embarrassment for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Maharashtra legislative council on Wednesday suspended its member Prashant Paricharak, who was elected with the party’s support, after his allegedly derogatory comments about army wives triggered an uproar.
The Maharashtra legislature has a bicameral structure, with a legislative assembly of directly elected legislators, and a legislative council of indirectly elected councillors.
The state government led by BJP recommended Paricharak’s suspension.
Senior BJP leader and revenue minister Chandrakant Patil told the legislative council that Paricharak would remain suspended until a seven-member committee of legislators investigates his remarks and submits its report.
Paricharak is alleged to have made the remarks during the recent campaign for the zilla parishad polls.
The website of the Maharashtra legislature has Paricharak as an independent on the list of members of legislative council (MLCs).
Before the BJP supported him, he was with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), one of the reasons why the NCP has been at the forefront in demanding action against him.
On Tuesday, the BJP faced a spirited attack from the opposition Congress, NCP, and even from its ally in the government, Shiv Sena, on this issue.
Dhananjay Munde, leader of the opposition in the council, demanded immediate suspension of Paricharak.
The council had to be adjourned for the day on Tuesday as the opposition and Shiv Sena members insisted on action against Paricharak.
When the house reassembled on Wednesday, the opposition parties and Shiv Sena raised the demand again.
Senior Shiv Sena legislator Neelam Gorhe said the entire nation was proud of the surgical strikes carried out by the Indian Army.
“But Paricharak has made objectionable remarks against the soldiers of the same Indian Army and their wives,” Gorhe said.
“The government should have acted on its own and suspended Paricharak immediately,” added Shiv Sena’s Gorhe.
Initially, revenue minister Patil tried to argue that Paricharak was not a BJP member and that the BJP had only supported his candidature.
Senior Congress leader and legislator Narayan Rane said the BJP typically disowned its members whenever they made inconvenient remarks.
However, BJP had no problem dealing with the same people if they suited the party’s political interests and helped it win power, Congress’ Rane added.
