Hitting out at Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, senior Congress leader Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said here today that he is the first CM in the state to demand the resignation of the leader of opposition.
He was referring to the statements made by Fadnavis in the Legislative Assembly earlier in the day.
"Pointing out at me, Fadnavis said those who live in glass houses don't throw stones at others. I want to tell him that I don't live in a glass house, but in a mansion built with stones," Vikhe Patil, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, told reporters.
"It is this government that lives in a glass house and everybody has seen its glass of transparency breaking on many occasions. Fadnavis shouldn't worry about me, but worry about himself. For the first time in the state legislative history, a chief minister has asked for the resignation of the leader of opposition," he added.
The Congress' allegations of Fadnavis' "blessings" to a government land deal in Navi Mumbai rocked the state assembly today, even as the CM rejected the charges.
Targeting Vikhe Patil, the chief minister said in the House, "Those who stay in glass houses should not throw stones at others. I do not stay in a glass house. There is no question of my resignation. Instead, you should resign for levelling baseless charges against me."
Earlier this week, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam had alleged that 24 acres of government land at Navi Mumbai was given to a private builder for just Rs 3.6 crore, and claimed the transaction had "blessings" of Fadnavis.
Vikhe Patil said the opposition demanded CM's resignation on moral grounds, to take responsibility of the decision which has caused Rs 2,000 crore losses to the state.
"As the state's head, the chief minister has the moral responsibility. When there were allegations against (senior BJP leader) Eknath Khadse, his resignation was taken. But the CM, instead of stepping down to facilitate a probe, is asking me to quit," he said.
He said the chief minister's demand violated the rights of the opposition and demanded that his statement be deleted from the legislative proceedings.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar told reporters that Fadnavis's demand for opposition leader's resignation was against democracy.
"If the government makes a mistake, it is the job of the opposition to raise the issue. The ruling party wants to say that the opposition should not ask them any questions and if we do, we should resign.
"This is against democracy. The government should argue its case over previous decisions," he said.
Pawar said a judicial probe should be set up and an inquiry should be carried out regarding the procedure of giving land to Koyna dam project-affected people.
"For how long the land was in the possession of the project-affected and at what cost the land was sold off to others," he asked.
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