Even as the Shiv Sena’s rebellion has moved from Maharashtra to Assam, Surat is still a venue for unfinished business.
The Maharashtra MLAs arrived in Gujarat town first and stayed in a hotel for a few hours before taking a chartered flight to Guwahati. However, the procedure for booking and paying for their accommodations raises concerns.
The hotel bill is still pending, sources claim. The booking appears to have been made in order to reserve 35 rooms, but no names were given. The rooms were reserved under names such as “Mr. A” for a single room and “Mr. and Mrs. A and B” for a double room. There were no records maintained at all. Even in a room that could accommodate two people, only one MLA stayed.
Sources said the booking was done by a government official, who called a high-ranking hotel official. When the rebel MLAs arrived at the hotel, no paperwork was done during check-in, or check-out. The bill too has been kept on hold.
“A senior staffer of the hotel got a call from a government official, and the latter’s reference has been written on the bill,” said a source. “The hotel staff was also kept away from the legislators, while some seniors handled their orders.”