Sena can’t be in govt and Oppn at same time: Fadnavis
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis ( pictured) on Monday said the Shiv Sena must realise that it cannot play the role of a ruling party and the Opposition simultaneously.
His comments came as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-Sena coalition government completed its three years in office on Monday.
“Some Sena leaders have developed the habit of opposing everything our government does... One can understand opposition to a few things as they are a different party,” Fadnavis said.
“How is it alright if you oppose everything? How can it be that you are in government and Opposition at the same time? People do not like this,” the chief minister said during an interaction at his official residence in south Mumbai.
Due to such statements by some (Sena) leaders, neither they nor their party benefits, Fadnavis, who was sworn in as chief minister on October 31, 2014, said.
“While being part of the government, if you want to take credit, you should also learn to take discredit ... It cannot happen that you claim credit and give discredit to others,” the CM said.
“You should be able to tolerate criticism for a (government) decision. Youcannotsay you did all the good and the BJP did all that is not good.”
Asked about reports of some Sena leaders threatening to withdraw from the state government, Fadnavis said, "What is there to react? I will react openly if Uddhavji (Sena president Uddhav Thackeray) says something.” “There (in the Sena) are many who think they are very big leaders. We do not react to such leaders. From our side, leaders of their level react to what they say,” Fadnavis said.
He denied reports about Milind Narvekar, an aide of Uddhav Thackeray, giving an him an “ultimatum” against inducting former Sena leader Narayan Rane in the state cabinet. Without mincing words, Shiv Sena’s member of Parliament (MP) Sanjay Raut on Monday termed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) his party’s “principal enemy” and said it was part of the Maharashtra government “just for the sake of it”.
His remarks came on the eve of the Devendra Fadnavis govenment’s third anniversary.
Raut also praised Rahul Gandhi saying there has been a substantial change in him over the last three years.
“The BJP owns the government. We are (in the government) just for the sake of it. Instead of hitting out at the Congress and NCP, the BJP targets the Sena. They (the BJP) are thus our principal enemy,” Raut told reporters in Nashik.
On Rahul Gandhi, the Rajya Sabha MP said, “A leader is one who is accepted by people. There is a substantial change in Rahul Gandhi since 2014. People like to listen to him now.” The Uddhav Thackerayled party has begun preparations for the Lok Sabha and Assembly election of 2019 and it is ready to fight elections whether or not there is an alliance with the BJP, Raut said.
To a question on the Sena's stand on encroachment by hawkers on the Mumbai streets, Raut said Bal Thackeray, the late Sena chief, was the first to raise the issue.
“Bala-saheb was the first person to speak on this issue.
Today, unless the chief minister provides police protection to corporation employees, the civic body cannot remove encroachments,” he said.
Asked about former Congress leader Narayan Rane — who started his career with the Shiv Sena before a bitter parting of ways — joining the state cabinet, Raut said he had been hearing rumours of cabinet expansion for long, and he would comment on it only when it happens.
Earlier in the day, Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had said the Cabinet reshuffle will take place before the winter session of the state legislature, and Rane, who quit the Congress recently to form his own outfit, will be inducted into the Cabinet.