Whip to support govt was issued by mistake: Sena

July 20, 2018 20:27

Bharatiya Janata Party ally Shiv Sena today said there was a 'mistake' in issuing the whip to its MPs asking them to be present in the Lok Sabha during the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion and vote for the government.

"There was a mistake. No such whip could be issued by the chief whip when a decision (on no-trust motion) was not even taken then," a Sena source told PTI.

Sena MP Chandrakant Khaire's, its chief whip in the Lower House of Parliament, in a three-line whip issued on the letter head of the party on July 18 had asked the party lawmakers to support the National Democratic Alliance government during the no-trust motion.

Hours after issuing the whip, the Sena shifted its stance and said party chief Uddhav Thackeray had asked his party MPs to remain in Delhi and a final decision on supporting the Modi government would be taken this morning before the debate started.

The whip issued in Khaire's name also bore his signature.

Today, when asked by a local news channel if it was indeed his signature, Khaire said, "Somebody played a mischief."

Yesterday, he had said the 'notice' (whip) issued to the party MPs had asked them to remain present in Parliament all-day long.

"All party MPs were told that the final decision (on taking a stand on the no-trust motion) will be taken by Uddhavji (Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray) and conveyed to them," Khaire had said.

Speaking to reporters earlier today, Khaire said no such whip had been issued and the party's decision on the no-confidence motion was taken this morning.

A source close to Thackeray said the party MPs have been asked to abstain from voting on the no-confidence motion.

The Shiv Sena has 18 Lok Sabha MPs.

Ahead of the crucial discussion on the motion, the Sena, in a harshly-worded editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, slammed the Narendra Modi government, saying those ruling the country are 'butchers, who save animals but kill humans'.

The Sena also doubted the mandate with which the Modi government came to power in 2014, alleging 'elections were won through money, misuse of power and tampering of electronic voting machines (EVMs)'. -- PTI

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