Mumbai, June 23: The Maharashtra Legislative Assembly witnessed heated exchanges on Tuesday after the opposition objected to the temporary allocation of ministerial responsibilities to other ministers during the ongoing session. The controversy began when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved the transfer of certain departmental duties to other cabinet colleagues due to the absence of concerned ministers.
Leader of Opposition Vijay Wadettiwar, senior leader Jayant Patil, and MLA Aaditya Thackeray questioned the move, arguing that legislators would not receive proper responses if the ministers holding the original portfolios were not present in the House.
Responding to the objections, Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar cited Article 164 of the Constitution and emphasized the principle of “collective responsibility” of the Council of Ministers. He stated that any minister can answer on behalf of the government and that such arrangements are common when ministers are required to attend both the Assembly and the Legislative Council.
Minister Shambhuraj Desai also countered the opposition, noting that similar arrangements had been made during the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi government, accusing the opposition of adopting a double standard on the issue.
