Ministers target Council chairman over vote-on-account

With the Government failing to get vote-on-account passed in the Legislative Council for the last two days, Maharashtra Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat today accused the Council chairman Ramraje Naik Nimbalkar of not being "above the politics".
Addressing a press conference, Bapat said as the opposition had majority in the upper house, rules were being flouted.
"The house was adjourned within five minutes yesterday and even today. The Chairman should be above the politics, but unfortunately this is not happening. But the government will not be cowed down," Bapat said.
Nimbalkar and the Deputy Chairman Manikrao Thakre belong to the NCP and the Congress, respectively.

Revenue Minister and Leader of the upper house Chandrakant Patil, also present at the press conference, said these two posts should be above the party politics.
Vote-on-account, passed by the Assembly yesterday, should have been passed by the Council by now, the two BJP ministers said.

If the Council didn't pass it by March 31, it would be a Constitutional and financial irregularity, they said.
As per the Constitution, a money bill passed by the Assembly needs to be passed by the Council within 14 days, else it is deemed to be passed, Bapat said.
They had written to the Council chairman that the vote-on-account should be passed tomorrow, and if that did not happen, they would meet the Governor and request him to direct the Council chairman regarding proceedings of the house, the two ministers said.