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Updated June 23rd, 2021 at 00:01 IST

'Everything fine in MVA government,' says Maha Cong chief Patole after 'going solo' remark

Days after raising eyebrows with the 'Congress going solo' remark, party chief of Maharashtra unit Nana Patole claims that everything is fine in the MVA govt.

Reported by: Sudeshna Singh
Maharashtra
ANI | Image:self
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After invoking a massive controversy with his remark that the Congress would go solo in the next assembly election in Maharashtra, the party's State chief Nana Patole on Tuesday took to the job of damage control by asserting that the party has always gone solo in elections. Having said that, he added that everything is just fine in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, and all the three parties - the Congress, the NCP, and Shiv Sena are working together. He went on to accuse the opposition of rojecting his words in 'an overblown way'. 

"Everything is fine in the MVA government. We (Congress) have always fought elections alone, there is nothing new in this. In MVA, all three parties are working together. All parties have every right to strengthen themselves. This matter is being shown in an overblown way, Congress plays its own role, NCP plays its own role, and Shiv Sena plays its own role," Patole said.

Never claimed Chief Minister's post: Congress Maharashtra chief Nana Patole

He also took the opportunity to clear the air around his eyeing the chief minister's post. He said, "I had never claimed the Chief Minister's post and said I would myself be the CM. I had said that the decision on the CM would be taken by the High Command." The comments of Patole come within a few days of his claiming that the alliance of Congress with NCP and Shiv Sena wasn't a 'permanent fixture' and that it was formed to stop the BJP. "We formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA-in 2019) for five years to stop the BJP. This is not a permanent fixture. Every party has the right to strengthen its organisation and the Congress has always given priority to providing relief to COVID-19 affected people by making available blood, oxygen, and plasma at various places," Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole told reporters.

The remark of Patole had come in response to Shiv Sena Supremo's remark made on the occasion of the party's 55th Foundation Day. He had said, "What about employment? The livelihoods have been impacted. All citizens are uneasy about their future in a post-COVID scenario. If we don't take their anxiety into consideration and only give a call for contesting elections alone, people will hit you with footwear".

The series of attacks and counterattacks started after Nana Patole boasted of his party coming to power by contesting the polls alone.

Congress unease within MVA

Despite winning a comfortable majority of its own in the 2019 Assembly election, NDA could not form the government over Shiv Sena's demand for the rotational CM post. Finally, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the CM of Maharashtra backed by new allies NCP and Congress on November 28, 2019. However, multiple Congress leaders including Balasaheb Thorat have expressed their concerns over their party being neglected in the coalition government in the last few months. 

In May 2020, Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi had publicly stated that Congress was not the key decision-maker in Maharashtra. Congress has also locked horns with Shiv Sena over issues such as the demand to rename Aurangabad. On various occasions, Congress has made it clear that it would not hesitate to quit the Maharashtra government if anyone speaks against its leadership. Speculation about the marginalization of the Sonia Gandhi-led party gained more traction after NCP supremo Sharad Pawar reserved special praise for Shiv Sena recently describing it as a "party which one can trust". 

(Credit-ANI)

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Published June 23rd, 2021 at 00:01 IST

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