MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena on Sunday left no room for speculation about the occupant of the chief minister’s chair.
Sanjay Raut, executive editor of party mouthpiece Saamna, made it clear in his weekly column Rokh-Thok that the CM’s post would be with the Shiv Sena for the full five-year term and would not be shared with MVA partners NCP or Congress.
Coming at a time when neither the NCP nor the Congress was questioning the standing of the Shiv Sena in the state government, the assertion sent many looking for the trigger for Raut’s comments.
The best anyone could come up with was Congress state unit president Nana Patole’s announcement later in the day that his party would contest all elections to local bodies and the state assembly on its own, but even there he only spoke about future polls and not the current arrangement.
The NCP and Congress spokespersons also said there was no dispute in the MVA.
As the day progressed, Raut finally decided to end the suspicion.
Speaking to the media in Nashik, he said his assertion was aimed at the BJP and was made to scotch baseless speculation about the future of the MVA after chief minister Uddhav Thackeray had a one-to-one meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi early last week.
“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.
Raut said his column was meant to clarify that there was clarity in the MVA about the CM’s chair.
“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.
Raut wrote in his column that the state BJP wanted to come to power at any cost in the state he and asked whether it really had the support from its 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.
Reiterating that the government will complete its term of five years, Raut said that it was not helplessness but the need of all three parties in the MVA to remain in power.
“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.
The state Congress, while avoiding comment on Raut’s column, said it would remain with the Shiv Sena for five 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.
He declined to comment on the Shiv Sena holding the CM’s post for five years.
NCP spokesperson Mahesh Tapase said all was well in the alliance.
“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,” Tapase said.
Two days after Thackeray-Modi meeting, NCP chief Sharad Pawar had, speaking at the foundation day speech of his party on Thursday, 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.