Congress Standing Firm with Maha CM for Full 5 Years; MVA Won’t Face Problem from Party: Patole
Days after saying that the Congress will contest the next Maharashtra┬аAssembly polls alone and not as partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, the partyтАЩs state unit chief Nana Patole on Sunday assured that his party stands strong with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray with all its might until the government completes its full five-year term. He also said that there will not be any problem from the Congress to the MVA government.
His remarks come a day after CM Thackeray, who is Shiv Sena president, said that people would тАЬbeat with footwear” those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to peopleтАЩs problems. Earlier in the day, Patole had said that the three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and it is not a permanent fixture.
Talking to reporters in Pune on the sidelines of an event, Patole said, when the three parties came together to form the MVA, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had put forth only one stand that the party was joining the alliance to stop the BJP from occupying power. тАЬOur leader Sonia GandhiтАЩs stand to be a part of the MVA was to prevent the BJP from coming to power. However, it had no mention that we are permanent in alliance (to even fight elections), he said.
тАЬThe Congress is standing strong with Uddhav Thackeray with all its might for all five years. There wonтАЩt be any problem (to the alliance) from the Congress. Our leader Soniaji has already given that assurance and as a state president, I am also of the same opinion,” he said.
The Sena and Congress, adversaries for decades, formed government in Maharashtra along with the NCP after the Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP in 2019. Patole said that the Congress has taken the decision to contest the elections independently.
тАЬWe are preparing to contest the upcoming civic body elections on our own. There have been instances where parties have contested civic body elections individually without hampering the alliance in the state,” he added. The Congress leader said that when the BJP and the Shiv Sena were together in power for five years, that time also they had fought the civic body elections separately.
тАЬWe are not saying anything different (about fighting the elections solo). That system is there in Maharashtra. Everyone works to make his partyтАЩs base strong and take the party ahead. Congress is also doing the same,” he said. While reacting to ThackerayтАЩs remark that тАЬpeople тАШwould beat with footwearтАЩ, Patole said there is no clarity about who the CM was referring to as there were statements where various parties, including Shiv Sena, BJP, and even Congress spoke about contesting elections individually.
тАЬSo, we canтАЩt comment until we know exactly who he was referring to. ThackerayтАЩs statement was made in the capacity of Shiv Sena chief and not as the CM. That statement might be a тАШShiv Sena-style of talkingтАЩ and such statements were also seen when the party was in power with the BJP,” the former MP said. Talking about the alleged scam in Ram mandir land purchase and donations, he said, тАЬWe have highlighted the issues in the legislative assembly. Now people understand the statement тАШRam nam japana aur paraya maal apnaтАЩ.
The Ram mandir trust also has made allegations. Various incidents are now bringing the truth out about how some people are taking benefits of Lord RamaLord Rama only will serve justice in this regard.”
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