The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday approved a bill to amend the Maharashtra Legislature Members (Removal of Disqualification) Act, which will now exclude the chief whips and whips of the ruling parties from the definition of “office of profit.”
The decks have been cleared for legislators from the ruling BJP and Shiv Sena parties to get the pay and perks of ministers.
The Maharashtra legislative assembly on Wednesday approved a bill to amend the Maharashtra Legislature Members (Removal of Disqualification) Act, which will now exclude the chief whips and whips of the ruling parties from the definition of “office of profit.”
This will ensure that the four chief whips, namely Raj Purohit and Vijay (Bhai) Girkar (BJP) and Sunil Prabhu and Neelam Gorhe (Shiv Sena), and the other whips from the two ruling parties can get facilities due to ministers like higher salaries, beacon cars and housing. The amendment will apply only to the chief whips and whips from the ruling parties.
“The offices of the Chief Whip and Whip of the party forming the government in the State Legislature are of utmost importance for the functioning of both houses of the state legislature. It is, there considered expedient to provide that the Member of State Legislature who are holding the Chief Whip and Whip in State Legislature shall not be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of the State Legislature due to the certain facilities attached to the said offices. It is, therefore, considered expedient to amend the said Act, suitably,” said the bill.
According to Article 191 of the Constitution of India, a person shall be disqualified for being chosen as, and for being, a member of the legislative assembly or council if he hold any office of profit under the central government or governments of the state specified in the First Schedule, other than an office declared by the state legislature by law not to disqualify its holders.
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