Koshyari seeks action against Shinde MLA
MUMBAI: Maharashtra minister Abdul Sattar, who courted controversy for allegedly making abusive comments on Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) member of parliament Supriya Sule, may now face serious consequences. Following a backlash over his remarks, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has sought action against Sattar, who holds the agriculture minister portfolio and is considered close to chief minister Eknath Shinde.
On November 7, the minister allegedly used abusive remarks against Sule, while reacting to her comments about Shiv Sena MLAS jumping ship to Eknath Shinde’s group for a sum of ₹50 crore.
Sattar said, “If Supriya Sule has become so ****, then we will also give it to her.”
An all-women delegation comprising MPS, MLAS and leaders from the state met the governor on November 14 and demanded action against Babasahebanchi Shiv Sena (BSS) MLA for his remarks against Sule. Subsequently, Koshyari wrote a letter to CM over the incident and sought appropriate action against Sattar. Raj Bhavan officials confirmed that a letter had been sent to the chief minister in the last week of November. NCP Rajya Sabha Fauzia Khan, who led the delegation to Raj Bhavan tweeted a letter received from Koshyari. “I have sent your memorandum to the chief minister for appropriate action,” states the letter from the governor shared by NCP MP on Twitter.
“Governor has taken cognisance of the memorandum submitted by the women delegation and sent it to the chief minister for appropriate action. I thank the Governor for this,” Khan said in her tweet. Later, when questioned by the media, Sattar defended himself. “I said that... if (she) needs money, she can take it lying with us. “I always stand by whatever I say,” he said defiantly. After Shinde’s intervention, Sattar expressed his regret. “I have used terms from rural parlance for them. This is not urban lingo... I apologise if I have hurt the sentiments of women.”
Koshyari on the other hand is already at the centre of controversy over “insulting Maratha King Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj”.