Keypoints:
- On Sunday, Sanjay Raut said that Uddhav Thackeray will remain at the helm for a full term of five years.
- He added that there was no scope of discussion over the post being shared between Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. These three parties had come together to form the government.
On Sunday, Shiv Sena left no speculation about the post occupancy of the Chief Minister’s chair. Sanjay Raut, who is the executive editor of the party’s mouthpiece, had said in his weekly column Rokh-Thok that the CM’s post will be with Shiv Sena for the full 5 years and that it will not be shared with either of MVA partners NCP and Congress. Raut said that there was no scope of discussion over the post being shared between Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. These three parties had come together to form the government.
“The Chief Minister’s post will remain with the Shiv Sena for five years. The post will not be shared… because it is a commitment that was given (by the constituent parties) when the Maha Vikas Aghadi was formed,” Sanjay Raut said in Nashik on Sunday.
He added that he was a witness to the whole discussion when the CM’s post was discussed between the three MVA parties. “I was part of the discussion. I was witness to it… a commitment was given to the Shiv Sena that it will hold the post for five years,” he said, adding, “even NCP chief Sharad Pawar has spoken on the same lines a couple of days back.”
Raut said that he was ‘clarifying’ this so as to not create a ‘confusion’ regarding the matter in the media as well as among the people. Spokesperson of NCP and Congress said that there was no dispute in the MVA.
“I am clarifying this because there should not be any speculation or confusion over the CM’s post among people as we all [Sena, NCP and Congress] knew this. I was one of the witnesses and a part of the MVA government-formation process, so I am saying that there is no such issue regarding sharing of CM’s post,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
“A commitment had been made by the MVA partners that the CM’s post would not be shared, unlike the decision at the time of the erstwhile government with estranged ally BJP about 50:50 power sharing. And I think NCP chief Sharad Pawar has also made the same statement while addressing a party function in the recent past,” he said.
In his column, Raut wrote that the state BJP wanted to come into power at any cost in the state and asked whether it really had the support from the top leadership. “Rumours are being spread that the NCP will claim the CM’s post after two and a half years, which will spark controversy and new political equations will emerge. But it will not happen,” he said in the column.
“The Congress is in power in one or two states. But being a part of the power structure in Maharashtra is an important factor. The NCP too could not spread outside Maharashtra, while the Sena, being the biggest brand of Hindutva, could not expand outside Maharashtra. In this situation, to keep the government running is the necessity of all three parties. If all goes well, why would one think of disturbing the settled government?” he said.
While avoiding comment on Raut’s column, the state Congress said that it would remain with Shiv Sena for 5 years. “Maha Vikas Aghadi will remain intact to keep the BJP away from power and the MVA government will complete its five years term,” party spokesperson Sachin Sawant said.
Sawant declined to comment on the Shiv Sena on holding the CM’s post for 5 years.
Mahesh Tapse, NCP spokesperson said that, “The Shiv Sena is the largest partner in the MVA and is leading the government. It will go on for five years. The government is stable and will complete its term.” He added that all was well in the alliance.
Two days after the Modi-Thackeray meeting, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar was speaking at the foundation day speech of his party on Thursday and he praised the Shiv Sena and said that no one had thought the NCP would form a government with it.
“The Shiv Sena is a trustworthy party. Balasaheb Thackeray had always kept his word. When the Congress lost and the Janata Party government came to power, at that time also the Sena extended its support to the Congress in the state assembly polls by not putting up a single candidate in that election. Balasaheb had given a word to Indira Gandhi, which he kept,” Pawar said.
