In an accidental meeting on the first day of Maharashtra Assembly’s monsoon session, arch-rivals Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis found themselves waiting for the lift together. Awkwardness was in the air, and a video that has now gone viral shows the two former Chief Ministers exchanging some words; the mood is cold at best. While what they spoke about is not known, the body language suggests that it was little more than small talk.

Mr Thackeray was asked about the conversation when he interacted with the media later. “From here on, we will do all our secret meetings in the lift,” he said jokingly.

“When Devendraji and I were in the lift, people must have thought of the song, ‘na na karte pyar tumhi se kar baithe’ (a classic from the 1965 film Jab Jab Phool Khile that roughly translates to ‘I fell in love with you despite denials).

“There is nothing like that. It was an unexpected meeting,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief added.

Another light-hearted interaction, pictures of which have emerged, was between BJP minister Chandrakant Patil and Mr Thackeray. When the BJP leader gave a bar of chocolate to Mr Thackeray, he replied, “Tomorrow you will give chocolate to the people of Maharashtra.” The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader was clearly referring to the state budget that is likely to offer sops to woo voters ahead of the election.

This is the last Assembly session before the Maharashtra election due later this year. These polls are likely to be a tight contest after the MVA trumped the ruling alliance of BJP, Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde) and NCP (Ajit Pawar) in this general election. Out of the 48 Lok Sabha seats, the MVA won 30 and the NDA bloc 17.

The upcoming election is significant against the backdrop of the splits in two key political forces in the state over the past two years. In the last state election in 2019, the BJP and the undivided Shiv Sena fought in alliance and secured a majority. But the allies fell through over rotational chiefministership and Mr Thackeray tied up with the Congress and Sharad Pawar’s NCP to form the government.

In 2022, however, the Uddhav Thackeray government was topped after his trusted lieutenant Eknath Shinde led a mutiny that split the Shiv Sena. Mr Shinde tied up with the BJP to form the next government. Subsequently, NCP leader Ajit Pawar rebelled against his uncle Sharad Pawar, leading to a split in NCP. Ajit Pawar, too, joined the state government.

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and senior members of the INDIA bloc met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Thursday to formally protest his reference, in Parliament, to the “dark days of the Emergency”.

The opposition said Mr Birla’s actions were “a very grave matter impacting Parliament’s credibility” and expressed “profound concern and anguish over this travesty of parliamentary traditions”.

In the meeting Mr Gandhi is believed to have told Mr Birla – who read out a resolution flaying the government at the time (led by the party’s Indira Gandhi) – that the reference, and the call for two minutes’ silence, which triggered howls of protest from the opposition benches, was unnecessary.

“Yesterday, that is June 26, 2024, at the time of offering felicitations on your election as Lok Sabha Speaker, there was general camaraderie in the House… as such occasions generate. However, what followed… reference from the Chair in regard to declaration of Emergency, is deeply shocking.”

“Making such a political reference from the Chair is unprecedented in the annals of the history of Parliament. This, coming from the Chair, as one of the first duties of a newly elected Speaker, assumes even greater proportions,” the Congress said in a statement signed by KC Venugopal.

“So many things were discussed… about functioning of Parliament. Of course this issue also came up and Rahulji, as Leader of the Opposition, told the Speaker the reference could have been avoided. It was clearly a political reference… it could have been avoided,” Mr Venugopal told press this evening.

What Lok Sabha Speaker Said On Emergency

Mr Birla’s jabs Wednesday – he did not name the Congress but the reference was obvious – shattered what little goodwill crept into its relationship with the BJP following his re-election as the Speaker.

Addressing the House after his election, Mr Birla called for two minutes’ silence to remember “the determination of all those who opposed Emergency” and flayed the government at the time.

“On this day then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi imposed an Emergency… and attacked the Constitution. Democratic values and debate have always been supported in India (but)… dictatorship was imposed. Democratic values were crushed and freedom of expression was strangled.”

“25th June 1975 will always be known as a black chapter in the history of India.”

Mr Birla’s comments – coming as the BJP targets the Congress on this topic, as it does every year – prompted furious pushback from opposition MPs, many of whom jumped to their feet to condemn the resolution. The Congress’ Shashi Tharoor called it an “unfortunate” message by the Speaker.

PM Modi Welcomed Speaker’s Emergency Jab

Mr Modi lauded Mr Birla for the resolution and mention of the Emergency in Parliament, posting on X, “I am glad the Speaker strongly condemned the Emergency, highlighted the excesses committed during that time, and also mentioned the manner in which democracy was strangled.”

Days earlier the Prime Minister launched a broadside of his own.

He began the first Parliament session of his third term – after earlier emphasising the importance of consensus – by attacking the Congress and the “black spot” on the country’s democratic record.

“… 50 years of the black spot on Indian democracy. New generation will not forget how the Constitution was scrapped, how the country was turned into a jail and democracy was captured.”

President’s Emergency Reference Today

The Congress’ protests came hours after President Droupadi Murmu, addressing a joint session of Parliament, said the Emergency was the “biggest and darkest chapter of direct attack on the Constitution”. “But the country emerged victorious over such unconstitutional forces…” she said, amid cheers from the Treasury benches and remonstrations by the opposition.

BJP vs Congress Over Emergency

The ruling party and the opposition have gone head-to-head over the Emergency.

The opposition, particularly the Congress, has counterattacked by referring to the past decade – the two terms of the Modi government – as an “undeclared Emergency”. Opposition MPs underlined that point this week by holding up copies of the Constitution while taking oath.

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