Sena proposed 3-party govt in 2014: Prithviraj

MUMBAI: Former chief minister (CM) and senior Congress leader, Prithviraj Chavan has ruffled up feathers in political circles with revelations that the Shiv Sena had approached him to form a three-party government in 2014 after the Assembly polls but he had allegedly turned down the proposal.

Chavan’s statement led Sena and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to deny any such proposal was discussed five years ago.

The Congress leader on Sunday said that immediately after the 2014 Assembly polls, the Shiv Sena had approached him to join hands to form a three-party government with the Congress and NCP. Sena had won 63 seats while Congress and NCP had 42 and 41 MLAS each. “Since the combined tally of the three parties was reaching the mid-way mark of 145, Sena was willing to form the [three-party] government as it was upset with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for not keeping its word on the 1995-formula and allocating Sena the posts of deputy CM and home minister,’’ Chavan told HT, refusing to name the Sena leader who had approached him.

Former chief minister and leader of Opposition, Devendra Fadnavis used Chavan’s comments to take a dig at the Shiv Sena. “It is surprising that Sena was willing to undermine its ideology

and principles while offering to join hands with the Congress. The revelation by Prithviraj Chavan has exposed the Sena and it has come to the fore that power is paramount for the party,” he said.

Sena spokesperson Manisha Kayande responded to Fadnavis’s jibes, reminding him of the Sena’s support in the previous election. “Which invisible hands supported the BJP’S minority government in 2014? Whatever Uddhav Thackeray has done, he has done it openly. Not like Fadnavis, who behind the scenes tries to undermine and sideline his allies and leaders within his

party,” said Kayande.

Meanwhile, Chavan clarified that such a proposal was “unthinkable for the Congress at the time”. “Fadnavis was implementing his party’s policy of ‘Congress and Vipaksha-mukt Bharat’ in Maharashtra. This made us think about the threeparty government in 2019,” he said.

NCP spokesperson and skill development minister Nawab Malik said that no such proposal had come to them. “Congress is a different party. Chavan may have received a proposal, but NCP never had any such offer,” he said.