Navi Mumbai, April 25 -- The escalating political tussle between deputy chief minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde, and forest minister and BJP leader Ganesh Naik came to the fore during general body meetings of the the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) on Thursday and Friday, when corporators from their respective parties clashed over civic administration, appointment of senior officials and the authority of the elected house. On Friday, BJP corporator Suraj Patil, a Naik loyalist, moved a resolution seeking removal of additional municipal commissioner Dr Rahul B Gethe, who has served as officer on special duty (OSD) to Shinde and is considered close to him. The resolution questioned the legality of Gethe's deputation, saying the Maharashtra Municipal Corporation Act and subsequent government notifications mandated that the post of additional municipal commissioner be filled from a prescribed feeder cadre comprising Chief Officer (Group-A) officers and other eligible municipal officers. "The feeder cadre for additional municipal commissioners has been notified by the government. If someone outside that cadre is appointed contrary to the rules, the house has every right to object," Patil said. "We have demanded that the deputation be ended, the officer be sent back to the parent department and temporary charge be handed to an eligible officer." Gethe was posted to the NMMC around three years ago as deputy municipal commissioner. As anti-encroachment chief, he led several high-profile demolition drives before being shifted and later elevated as additional municipal commissioner. Shiv Sena corporator Shivram Patil strongly objected to the resolution, saying the state government had appointed Gethe, and he could not be removed just because some corporators disliked him. "An officer who has worked in the corporation for three years is being targeted through a personal resolution. This lowers the dignity of the house. It shows that with majority, anything can be done," Patil said. Another Shiv Sena corporator, Dwarkanath Bhoir, called the objections belated. "If there were objections, anyone could have gone to court when he (Gethe) was deputed three years ago. For three years, we took his service and now we are saying the appointment was wrong," he said. The final authority regarding Gethe's appointment would remain with the state government, he noted. House leader Sagar Naik rejected claims of confronting the government. "Where is the question of taking on the government? We are only exercising our rights. The municipal corporation has its own rights," Naik said. He then sought legal opinion, following which mayor Sujata Patil referred the proposal to the legal department and kept it pending. The confrontation over Gethe's appointment came a day after another showdown between Shiv Sena and BJP corporators over the retirement-age dispute. As reported by HT earlier, the NMMC had, in March, passed resolutions hiking the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years. But the state urban development (UD) department - headed by deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde - subsequently suspended these resolutions, leading to stormy scenes in the house. On Thursday, the ruling BJP bench approved a fresh resolution seeking continuation or reinstatement of retired employees pending a final government or court decision. Sagar Naik said the ruling bench would not retreat until affected workers received justice. "Several have retired already. Forty employees will retire in the next two months and nearly 400 in the next two years. Experienced people are leaving. We are fighting for the benefit of the employees and this institution," he said. Naik also objected to NMMC commissioner Kailas Shinde forwarding the earlier house resolution to the state government for approval. Shinde defended his actions, saying legal opinion was taken as service rules were being altered and government approval was necessary....