Maharashtra: Why no resignations before joining hands with Cong, NCP, Fadnavis asks Uddhav

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday countered Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s suggestion that the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Eknath Shinde faction of the SS resign and face civic and Assembly polls “within a month”.

Speaking to reporters at the airport here, Fadnavis asked if Thackeray’s legislators had resigned and faced the electorate afresh after he broke the alliance with the BJP post the 2019 Assembly polls and joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress.

Queried on raids by the Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad and arrests of 20 Popular Front of India (PFI) activists across the state during the day, Fadnavis said it was coordinated action by the agency and it would not be appropriate to speak on it now.

Addressing workers of his faction in suburban Goregaon on Wednesday, Thackeray had attacked the BJP and said, “I challenge Amit Shah that if you have guts, hold the BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation) polls in a month and also state Assembly elections.”

Hitting back, Fadnavis said Thackeray’s speech “reflected his disappointment”.

“We got elected legitimately. Why did he and his party, which won in alliance with us, not tender their resignations before joining hands with the Congress, NCP? You should have had the courage to get re-elected and then go with the Congress-NCP,” Fadnavis said.

Fadnavis also said the Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena, the Congress and NCP have tried to finish him politically for the past several years but would not be able to do so.