Raut threatens to explore alternative Govt, BJP Minister warns of Prez Rule
The political posturing between the saffron alliance partners over the sharing of power in Maharashtra continued on Friday as Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut said that if it so desired his party could form its Government and senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar handed out veiled threat to its ally that the State would come under the President’s Rule if the Government was not formed before November 7.
On a day when the State Congress leaders met AICC president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi to seek permission from the Congress high command to explore the possibility of extending support to the Shiv Sena-led Government in Maharashtra, the Sena and BJP leaders indulged in bitter battle of nerves for the eight consecutive day after the saffron alliance partners collectively managed to retain the magical number in the State Assembly.
Raut, who had met NCP chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday in an apparent bid to fish in troubled waters, upped the ante on Friday. Talking to mediapersons, Raut said, “If the BJP fails to implement the agreement (on the power sharing) reached with us ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, we have other options open. The mandate has not been given to any one party but has been given to both the BJP and Shiv Sena...If the Shiv Sena makes up its mind, it can form a Government in the State. And the Chief Minister will be from the Shiv Sena, a nominee decided by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.”
Not to be outdone by the Shiv Sena, senior BJP leader and Finance Minister in the outgoing Government Mungantiwar mounted pressure on his party’s younger ally to agree to form a Government in alliance with his party, by saying, “If the Government is not formed before November 7, then Maharashtra will come under President’s Rule.”
While agreeing that there has been some delay in the start of negotiations between the two parties due to the Diwali festival and some reasons, Mungantiwar expressed hope that talks would begin in the two days. People of Maharashtra have given mandate not to any party but to the Mahayuti (alliance comprising BJP, Shiv Sena and other parties)” ...Our alliance is stronger than Fevicol or Ambuja Cement”.
Mungnatiwar expressed hope that the new Government would assume office soon.
Meanwhile, NCP president Sharad Pawar, who initially said his party preferred to be in the Opposition, has changed his stance and told the State Congress leaders — who met him at his Mumbai residence on Wednesday night — to seek their party high command’s go-ahead to work in tandem in dealing with the emerging situation in Maharashtra.
Mungantiwar indirectly pointed out that the BJP was in no position to give Chief Minister’s post on a rotational basis to the Shiv Sena. Mungantiwar said, “We have already named Devendra Fadnavis for the post”.
Mungnatiwar said that the BJP would take a lead in the formation of Government in the State. “We will first sit across and break the deadlock at the State-level. If necessary, the Central BJP leadership will intervene and resolve the issues between the two parties”.
The BJP’s keenness to form the Government at the earliest should be seen in the light of fact that the party has booked the Wankhede Stadium in south Mumbai for swearing-in ceremony on November 5.
Incidentally, the term of the outgoing Maharashtra Assembly will end on November 9 as not November 7 as mentioned by Mungantiwar.
Raut’s assertion about the formation of a Shiv Sena-led Government in the State should be seen in the context of the keenness shown by both the Congress and NCP to extend support to the Shiv Sena in the formation of a Government to keep the BJP out of power in the State. Having expressed readiness to consider a proposal from the Sena seeking their party’s support, the State Congress leaders have already approached the party high command to seek permission to go ahead with the moves to checkmate the BJP in Maharashtra.
Though NCP president Sharad Pawar initially said that his party preferred to be in the Opposition, he has changed his stance since then and told the State Congress leaders - who met him at his Mumbai residence on Wednesday night -- to seek their party high command’s go-ahead first so that both the parties could work in tandem in dealing with the emerging situation in Maharashtra. Unconfirmed reports said that Pawar had already spoken to Congress president Sonia Gandhi over phone, while independent sources in the NCP said that the Maratha leader might meet Gandhi either on November 3 or 4.
Former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who had spoken about “some interesting possibilities” vis-a-vis Government in the State on the very day of the State Assembly poll outcome on September 24, was among the State Congress leaders who met Sonia on Friday evening. The other leaders were Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan, Balasaheb Thorat, Vijay Vadettiwar and Manikrao Thakre. Apart from consulting Sonia on the election of Congress’ group leader in the State Assembly, the Congress leaders were seeking consent for a go-ahead for extending support to the Sena in the Government formation in the State.
The initiative taken by the State Congress to extend support to the Shiv Sena, if needed for the formation of a Government in the State comes in the face of a stiff opposition to the move expressed by veteran Congress leader Sushil Kumar Shinde. He has said that the Congress should not join hands with the Shiv Sena as its ideology is different from the Shiv Sena. “We should accept the mandate given by the people and sit in the Opposition,” Shinde said on Friday.
