Mumbai:
Twenty one days after the assembly results and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s accusation that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) did not honor its commitment of sharing the Chief Ministers post, BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday finally broke his silence on the whole controversy brushing aside Thackeray’s contentions.
Speaking to ANI, he said “before the assembly elections Prime Minister Narendra Modi and I had said many times in public that if our alliance wins then Devendra Fadnavis will be the Chief Minister, no one objected back then. Now they have come up with new demands which are not acceptable to us”.
His remarks assume importance after senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut had even questioned Shah over his silence and his remaining aloof from the political developments in Maharashtra. Sources in the BJP while speaking to News 21.com on conditions of anonymity disclosed that after the Sena began to harp on the non-existent deal and began targeting its senior leaders, Shah twice cancelled his Mumbai visit’s and refused to step in to end the stalemate.
Commenting upon the delay in government formation in Maharashtra, the BJP president remarked “before this, in no other state was so much time given, 18 days were given. The Governor invited political parties only after the tenure of the 13th legislative assembly had ended. Neither did the Shiv Sena, or the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) staked claim and neither did we. Even today if any political party has the numbers it can approach the Governor of Maharashtra”.
Replying to queries over Sena accusation of being denied extension of time to stake claim to form the government, Shah replied “even today if anyone has the numbers they can approach the Governor. The Governor has not denied chance to anyone. A learned lawyer like Kapil Sibal is putting forth childish arguments like ‘we were denied a chance to form the Government in Maharashtra”.
