Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said Tuesday that the Congress, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and his party will work out a formula for formation of the government in Maharashtra which has been facing political uncertainty for nearly three weeks now.
Attacking the BJP over its claim that the Shiv Sena was in touch with the Congress-NCP since the October 24 poll results, Uddhav Thackeray said he had allied with the chief NDA constituent in its ‘dark times’.
“I officially spoke to the Congress-NCP only yesterday (November 11), seeking support for government formation. We will work out a formula for the same. All doubts will be erased,” he told reporters after meeting the Sena’s MLA-elects at a suburban resort.
Uddhav Thackeray said the Sena needs a clarity on the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) just like the Congress and the NCP if a government is to be formed with their support.
The Sena president took a dig at Governor BS Koshyari over denial of more time to drum up support for government formation in the state, where President’s rule was imposed Tuesday evening.
“The Maharashtra governor had given us a letter (asking the Sena to show willingness to form government) even before the deadline allotted to the BJP got over. We then asked the Governor for additional time, which he denied. Now it seems, the Governor has given us ample time of six months to decide on government formation,” Thackeray said sarcastically. “We had asked for 48 hours but the Governor gave us six months,” he said.
Thackeray also hit out at the BJP sarcastically. “The fact that I reached out to the Congress-NCP only yesterday (Monday) proves the BJP’s allegation that I was in touch with them since day of the election results, wrong,” asserted Thackeray.
Reaffirming the Sena’a commitment to Hindutva, he pointed out that parties with different ideologies have forged alliance with the BJP.
“I have sought information on how the BJP forged alliances with non-ideological partners like Mehbooba Mufti (PDP-J&K), Nitish Kumar (JDU-Bihar), Chandrababu Naidu (TDP-Andhra Pradesh) and Ramvilas Paswan (LJP-Bihar). It will be helpful for me to understand on how to go ahead with the Congress and NCP,” the Sena leader informed.
Asked whether he has officially broken the alliance with the BJP, Thackeray said, “If it is broken, it is by them and not me. They lied and tried to prove me a liar.”
Thackeray reiterated that sharing the chief minister’s post was decided before the Assembly polls, but the BJP did not honour this commitment.
“It is not true Hindutva when you are in favour of Ram Temple, but break promise,” Thackeray said.
PTI