India, July 15 -- Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Wednesday asserted that the six Shiv Sena (UBT) parliamentarians' induction into his party was carried out in a "foolproof" and "legally sound" manner, expressing confidence that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla would rule in their favour. The six MPs joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena last month after breaking away from the Uddhav Thackeray-led party, taking his faction's strength in the Lower House to 13. The Shinde camp insists that the switch satisfies the two-thirds requirement under the anti-defection law. "These six MPs have come with us with a two-thirds majority. After consulting legal experts, they met the Lok Sabha speaker and completed every procedure, including submitting the required documents and video recordings," Shinde told a press conference here. Also Read - RSS chief Bhagwat to address women on 'contemporary motherhood' in Delhi, Hyderabad "In a democracy, majority matters. With these six MPs joining us, the Shiv Sena has secured a majority. We have done everything through the parliamentary process and legislative procedure," he said. When asked about claims by Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders that the split did not satisfy the legal requirement of two-thirds strength of the entire organisational apparatus of the party, Shinde said the speaker would decide the matter. "The entire process has been completed before the speaker. Whatever we do, we do in a foolproof manner. You have seen that in the past as well," he said. On whether Birla would recognise the merger before the Monsoon session of Parliament scheduled from July 20, Shinde said there was "no doubt" that a decision would be taken, as all constitutional and legal requirements had been complied with. The speaker's office has yet to formally announce a decision on recognising the breakaway group. Also Read - Sloganeering against govt not sufficient ground to slap sedition charges: Punjab and Haryana HC Shinde also welcomed reports that the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) might support fresh constitutional amendment bills on women's reservation and delimitation after examining them. "If they support them, it is a good thing, and we welcome it," he said, adding that the NCP-SP may have realised that opposing these bills would result in the party "meeting Trinamool Congress's fate". "The women's reservation and delimitation bills should be passed. Delimitation is necessary because some constituencies have 20 lakh, 25 lakh and even 30 lakh voters. How can one representative effectively reach so many people? I say with confidence that both these bills will be passed," he said. Also Read - No backdoor talks with BJP; INDIA bloc to discuss delimitation after introduction of bill: Sule NCP (SP) leader Supriya Sule has, however, dismissed the reports suggesting that the party is inclined to support the delimitation bill. "Neither I nor our party has held any official discussion with the media on this subject. Our party's position is determined only after detailed internal deliberations within the party and with our ally parties in the INDIA front. Therefore, the news claiming that our party has taken a firm stance on this has no basis whatsoever. "Until the government officially introduces the revised delimitation bill in Parliament, it would be inappropriate to comment on it. Since no such bill is yet available, any discussion regarding its content or our position on it is unwarranted," Sule posted on X. Also Read - Country heading towards economic crisis due to Modi govt's policies: Cong Asked about the speculation over the NCP (SP) joining the NDA following recent political developments in Maharashtra, Shinde said the decision rested solely with the BJP's top leadership. "We are a trusted constituent of the NDA. But who joins or is inducted into the NDA is a decision to be taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. They will decide on such matters," he said. Shinde also dismissed attempts to attach political significance to meetings between leaders of different parties, saying such interactions should not automatically be viewed through a political lens.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.