Fault lines were visible in the State Congress on Wednesday over the party high command’s reluctance to extend a helping hand to the Shiv Sena to form a government in Maharashtra.
A large group of the party’s 44 elected MLAs is in favour of backing the Sena if approached by the saffron party. Despite discussions between the party’s leaders in the State, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, the high command is of the opinion that the Congress should sit on the Opposition benches.
The decision has upset several newly elected MLAs, old and young, and the State leadership is now forced to pacify their anger. The younger lot is unhappy over Maharashtra in-charge Mallikarjun Kharge’s blunt comments against aligning with the Sena without seeking the opinion of elected representatives.
‘Baseless speculations’
State Congress president Balasaheb Thorat, however, has denied any such discontent within the party. “While we believe that the people’s mandate is against the Bharatiya Janata Party in this election, it is up to the high command to decide the party’s position. We work as per the party ideology under the leadership of Sonia ji Gandhi. The speculations are baseless and hold no truth,” he said.
The denial notwithstanding, the State Congress leadership convened a meeting late on Wednesday to discuss how to pacify the disgruntled MLAs. Six MLAs to whom The Hindu spoke were in favour of joining an alternative government, irrespective of the Sena leading it.
‘Ayodhya no roadblock’
“The Ayodhya verdict is going to be a court decision and every party will have to accept it, irrespective of its political stand. That cannot be the roadblock [to forming a government with the Sena]. Similarly, the Congress has received the Sena’s support in the past. Nobody objected to it then,” said one MLA, on the condition of anonymity.
The MLAs said they will accept the high command’s decision, but said it will be after taking elected representatives’ opinion.
Party secretary and State in-charge Ashish Dua, meanwhile, said the leadership can take the decision only if it receives a proposal from the Sena. “All this talk is in vain as there is no such proposal. How can our leadership decide whether to support the Sena or not before that?” he asked, dismissing reports of discontent within the party.
