Panaji, Jan 12 (IANS): Congress leader Girish Chodankar on Friday said that while Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narwekar has disposed off 34 disqualification petitions, the Goa Speaker Ramesh Tawadkar is unable to hear the disqualification petitions pending before him.

Chodankar said that the Speaker is working at the behest of the BJP and is trying to satisfy them for his personal political agenda.

“Ramesh Tawadkar must resign as speaker as his conduct has failed to justify the Constitutional office which he presides over. While the Maharashtra Speaker has disposed of 34 disqualification petitions within the same time frame, Tawadkar has not only failed to hear the pending disqualification petitions but has not even initiated the adjudication process in most of the petitions.” he said.

Chodankar said that the BJP leader holding the Constitutional post of the Speaker has brazenly and conveniently ignored the SC’s directions to dispose of disqualification matters with promptitude and within a time bound manner.

“Maharashtra Speaker disposed of 34 petitions in 18 months after intervention of SC, while Goa Speaker is wasting time with just 4 petitions, which continue to be pending since the last 16 months. With all due respect to the high office of the Hon’ble Speaker, the present Goa Speaker’s deliberate dilatory tactics seemingly to avail political benefits reeks of political malafide and is unacceptable in a democratic nation like ours,” he said.

He said that he was forced to approach the HC and SC as Tawadkar has failed to perform his constitutional duties.

“It is evident that he is proceeding to adjudicate disqualification petitions at his whims and fancies merely to protect his political party,” he said.

He said that Tawadkar is guilty of “murdering” democracy by favouring his political party despite holding an inherently neutral, Constitutional office.