Pune: NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Sunday said the three constituents of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) have decided that the next speaker of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly will be from the Congress party. The post fell vacant after Congress MLA Nana Patole resigned in February this year to take over as the party's Maharashtra unit president.
Speaking to reporters in Baramati city in Pune district, Pawar said, "The three parties (Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) have decided that the new Speaker will be from the Congress party only. We all will support whatever the party (Congress) decides about the speaker (candidate)". Recently, Maharashtra governor B S Koshyari had written to Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to take a call on filling the post of the speaker. However, the election of Speaker cannot be held during the recently concluded two-day monsoon session of the state legislature. Replying to a question on the suspension of 12 MLAs of the BJP during the monsoon session for alleged misbehaviour, Pawar said, "They were suspended based on what happened in the Assembly. Nothing much to dig into it...It is done".
The 12 MLAs were suspended for one year for allegedly misbehaving with the presiding officer in the chamber of the Assembly Speaker on July 5. Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis had alleged the move was aimed at reducing the number of BJP MLAs in the Lower House.
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As Uttar Pradesh released the draft of the proposed population control bill, Sharad Pawar earlier on Sunday said that the population needs to be controlled so as to sustain the country's economy, healthy living standards and a balanced environment. His statement in favour of population control shows that the matter is being resonated in other parties as well.
"The message of population control needs to reach far and wide to sustain the nation's economy, gross national income, healthy living standards, and a balanced environment. Every conscious citizen should make a commitment to contribute to population control on the occasion of World Population Day," said Pawar on the occasion of World Population Day. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday encouraged people to spread awareness about the problems arising due to an increase in population.
He said that the rising population is the root cause of major problems including inequality. "Increasing population is the root of major problems including inequality prevailing in the society. Population control is the primary condition for the establishment of an advanced society. Let us, on this 'World Population Day', take a pledge to make ourselves and the society aware of the problems arising from the increasing population," Adityanath said in a statement.
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PTI
