Govt to move court over delay in appointment of nominated MLCs: Patole

State Congress chief Nana Patole said on Wednesday that the MVA government in Maharashtra has decided to move the court over the `delay' by the governor in the appointment of nominated members to the Legislative Council.

Talking about the issue elsewhere, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said it was governor's prerogative to approve or reject names recommended by the state government.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress coalition government had recommended 12 names for appointment to the Council in the governor's quota to governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari in the first week of November.

"This is a murder of democracy. The cabinet, in exercise of its rights, sent the names to the governor. How long will the governor delay it?" Patole said at a press conference in Nagpur.

Claiming that the governor seems to be under pressure from the central leadership of the BJP, Patole said, "We (the MVA government) have now decided to approach the court on this issue." Earlier, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar had openly expressed dismay over Koshyari not taking decision on the recommended nominee's list.

To a question by reporters about the dispute, BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis said, "Governor is a constitutional post and he is considered to be the head of the state. A chief minister performs his duties on behalf of the governor. So it is the prerogative of the governor whether to accept a candidate's name or not.

"However, I do not like the tone and manner in which MVA leaders are talking about it. What sort of parliamentary discourse it this," the former chief minister said.

He also alleged that the government was not making any attempt to arrest Aligarh University alumnus Sharjeel Usmani against whom a case for `creating enmity between two groups on the ground of religion' has been registered in Pune.