AG comment on separate Marathwada rocks House; CM to speak

Maharashtra Advocate General Shreehari Aney's remark favouring a separate Marathwada state led to an uproar in both Houses today with Opposition and even ruling ally Shiv Sena seeking his ouster while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said he should have shown restraint.
Fadnavis said he will make a statement in the House tomorrow.
"I will make a statement on the issue in the House tomorrow. Even if I have my own personal opinion favouring separate statehood for Vidarbha, I cannot say it publicly being the Chief Minister. Similarly, Aney may have his personal views but he should exercise restraint while speaking in public," he told reporters here.

When asked whether he will ask Aney to step down, Fadnavis only said, "The AG is supposed to speak in the high court in favour of government. He should show restraint while expressing his personal views on public platforms."
Senior BJP minister Eknath Khadse too said Aney's stand was wrong. "Our government will not support separate statehood, neither for Marathwada nor for Vidarbha," he said.
Earlier, with Aney's statement in Jalna in Marathwada yesterday rocking the Legislature, a senior BJP minister claimed here the Chief Minister will ask him to step down.
Aney had said at a program to disburse relief to families of farmers who committed suicide that Marathwada suffered more injustice than Vidarbha, and called for a movement for separate state. A months ago, he had sparked a similar row by calling for a referendum on a separate Vidarabha state.

Targeting Fadnavis, Congress and NCP submitted a proposal to Legislature principal secretary Anant Kalse today, seeking Aney's removal from the key post.