Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday slammed the Congress’s attitude towards alliance partners in Maharashtra, saying it should keep them together if it wants to return to power at the Centre.
An editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, called the Congress’s stance of maintaining distance from the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partners on certain issues narrow-minded. It took exception to Maharashtra Congress chief Harshvardhan Sapkal expressing reservations about the Nationalist Congress Party – Sharadchandra Pawar or NCP – SP’s support for Shiv Sena (UBT)’s claim to a Legislative Council seat.
The criticism came against the backdrop of the Shiv Sena (UBT) giving up its claim to the lone Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra that the MVA was certain to win. The Shiv Sena (UBT) then staked its claim to the lone Legislative Council seat that the alliance will contest in April for the party chief and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.
The editorial said Rahul Gandhi should be congratulated for handing over the Congress’s leadership in Maharashtra to a capable leader, and for his ambition to reach the top. “But if his stance is that his party will reach the top only with a seat in the Legislative Council or Rajya Sabha, then they will have to reconsider their target,” said the editorial. “It will be a hurdle in achieving the bigger goal. If the desire to win power at the Centre is serious, a strong alliance in the state is the only option.”
The editorial said sensible co-operation is not weakness but political maturity. “Only if the Congress shows this maturity, regional parties across the country, including Maharashtra, will look at it with trust.”
Shiv Sena (UBT) advised Congress to respect regional allies. “The Congress should send a message that we, as a national party, respect regional parties and come together to think about the future of the country. What is the point in focusing on a single seat of the Legislative Council or the Rajya Sabha?”
The editorial blamed Congress’s sudden decision to have the then assembly speaker, Nana Patole, resign when the MVA government was in power. It said it led to the government’s toppling through defections.
Congress leader Sachin Sawant asked Shiv Sena (UBT) to introspect instead of blaming others. “In an alliance, there should be discussion before making anything public. Shiv Sena (UBT) expressed its views and then expects us to support it. In the Chandrapur and BMC [Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation] elections, they did the same. Otherwise, MVA would have been in power in both civic bodies.”
The MVA constituents were initially divided on which coalition partner would nominate a candidate for a Rajya Sabha seat from Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena (UBT) insisted on claiming the seat because it has the highest number of lawmakers (20) among MVA partners (20) before supporting the NCP – SP chief Sharad Pawar’s candidature for Parliament’s upper House. The Sena (UBT) sought the return of the favour as Uddhav Thackeray’s term ends on May 13, and the party wants him renominated.