“Despite being the single largest party (BJP), if you don’t form the government and instead rule the State under the guise of President’s Rule, it is wrong, unconstitutional and an insult to Maharashtra,” said senior Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut while speaking to the media on Friday.
Mr Raut has kept up the offensive against Sena ally BJP over the sharing of the Chief Minister post in the State. In another press conference on Friday morning, the day the Maharashtra Assembly is dissolved, he once again said the Shiv Sena was firm on its demand of equal sharing of the post.
When asked about Hindutva leader Sambhaji Bhide or senior BJP leader Nitin Gadkari intervening in the deadlock, Mr Raut said, “There is no need for intervention. They should bring a written proposal for equal sharing of CM post. If Gadkari
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Speaking about the Congress moving its MLAs to Jaipur, Mr Raut said, “If there are concerns of horse-trading, it is a challenge to Maharashtra and to the PM’s dream of clean and transparent governance.”
Mr Raut had tweeted a couplet by former BJP PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Elaborating on it, he said, “We will not leave the battleground, we are fighters. This is our Maharashtra. Why is there fear (of horse-trading)? No matter what pattern you use here, it won’t work, we are together.”
When asked why the Sena was not reaching out to the BJP, he said, “Why should we? Even Amit Shah knows what was agreed upon.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He said Sena leaders will meet the Governor again as he was now guardian of the State but it was the single largest party that needed to stake claim to government formation first.
“There is a conspiracy to form an interim government and rule under the guise of President’s rule. That will be an insult to the mandate given by people,” said Mr Raut.
Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena legislators who were lodged in Hotel Rangsharda in Mumbai on Thursday, spent the night there and continued to stay put.
Currently, there are two luxury buses stationed outside the hotel, leading to speculation of Shiv Sena moving its MLAs elsewhere later in the day.
Around noon, party chief Uddhav Thackeray took a meeting of all district and taluka leaders of Shiv Sena to provide relief to flood affected farmers. Following the meeting, there is speculation of Mr Thackeray coming to meet the MLAs at the hotel.