MUMBAI: Exhibiting their acts of hooliganism, 13 newly elected legislators of Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) kicked, slapped and manhandled Samajwadi Party legislator Abu Asim Azmi and tried to prevent him from taking oath in Hindi language on the opening day of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on Monday.

Surprisingly while the MNS legislators were involved in this shameful politics, the ruling Congress and NCP alliance legislators remained a mute spectator and watched the drama and intervened only much later.

The ruckus in the Assembly continued for more than 25 minutes and the house was later adjourned for twenty minutes.

The MNS legislators were following their party chief Raj Thackeray’s threat issued last month in which he had threatened that his legislators would ensure that all the 288 members in the Assembly will take the oath in Marathi, and if any legislator does not take the oath in Marathi, then the Assembly will witness what will happen there.

The four MNS legislators Ram Kadam, Vasant Geete, Shishir Shinde and Ramesh Wanjale were suspended from the Assembly for four years following resolution by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshavardan Patil recommending their suspension.

Meanwhile, police beefed up security throughout Maharashtra anticpating trouble from MNS workers following the suspension of the legislators.