Congress, NCP talk on Maha

Shah says Fadnavis-as-CM was made clear

Mumbai: The Congress and the NCP on Wednesday started their deliberations on the modalities of government formation in Maharashtra. Both the parties expressed confidence that they will soon form a government along with Shiv Sena, whose chief Uddhav Thackeray met Congress leaders.

New Delhi, Nov. 13: BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday rejected the Opposition’s criticism of President’s rule in Maharashtra as “outright politics” to gain public sympathy, and said Shiv Sena’s demands, including sharing the Chief Minister’s post, were “unacceptable” to his party.

In his statement and tweets, Shah, also the Union home minister, said he was not in favour of mid-term elections in the state and noted that all parties have six months to stake claim to form government if they manage a majority.

In his first comments on the political crisis in the state, he rejected Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s claim that the BJP had agreed to share the CM’s post with the ally, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi many times and he “at least 100 times” had said in public during the Assembly elections campaign that Devendra Fadnavis will again head the government if the saffron alliance gets a majority. The Sena never questioned their assertions then but has now put forth demands which were unacceptable to the BJP, Shah said.

“We got people’s mandate but now our ally has made demands which are unacceptable to us.”

He, however, in the statement did not touch on the details of the agreement between the two allies of 30 years, saying it is not the values of the BJP to bring to public what has been discussed in private.

Shah accused the Opposition of doing “outright politics” over the Centre’s decision to impose President's rule in Maharashtra, and asserted that if there was any party which has “suffered” it is the BJP as it has lost its caretaker government.

Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari gave the parties 18 days to stake claim for forming government and then invited them as well but, Shah said in a series of tweets, none of them could prove a majority.

“Even today if any party has a majority, then it may meet the governor to stake claim,” Shah said.

“The opposition’s reaction to President’s rule in Maharashtra is outright politics. The honourable governor has never compromised with constitutional norms,” he said.

Shah said he is not in favour of mid-term polls in the state. He said President’s rule was necessitated so that Opposition could not accuse the governor of running an "indirect BJP rule" in the state.

The Opposition’s reaction to President’s rule in Maharashtra is outright politics. The honourable governor has never compromised with constitutional norms

AMIT SHAH