'Maharashtra govt is like rickshaw whose 3 wheels move in different directions': Amit Shah

Casting aspersion on the stability of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, Union Home Minister Amit Shah likened it to an "autorickshaw" during his Pune visit. While addressing a gathering, Shah contended that Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress were moving in different directions akin to the three wheels of the autorickshaw. On this occasion, he also took a swipe at the Uddhav Thackeray-led party for betraying the cause of Hindutva for the sake of getting the Chief Minister's post. The former BJP president contested Shiv Sena's claim that it was promised the CM's post for a two-and-a-half-year term.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah remarked, "Maharashtra's Aghadi government is like an autorickshaw which has three wheels. Its three wheels are in different directions and they cannot move as they are punctured. It simply gives out smoke and increases pollution." 

Unease in 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. After the imposition of the President's Rule in the State, BJP took a surprising step of joining hands with NCP's Ajit Pawar, who had reportedly promised the support of other legislators. However, the new Fadnavis-led government had to resign ahead of the SC-mandated floor test owing to the paucity of numbers. Subsequently, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took oath as the CM of Maharashtra backed by new allies NCP and Congress on November 28, 2019.

In the last few months, multiple Congress leaders including Balasaheb Thorat have expressed their concerns over their party being neglected in the coalition government. In May 2020, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi had publicly stated that Congress was not the key decision-maker in Maharashtra. Congress has locked horns with Shiv Sena over numerous issues including 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.

Similarly, tensions between NCP and Shiv Sena reportedly escalated over the handling of the Vazegate scandal after the latter insisted on Anil Deshmukh's resignation as the Home Minister. Moreover, speculation was rife about a possible change of guard in Maharashtra after a secret meeting between Sharad Pawar and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Ahmedabad in end-March. While NCP issued a denial, Shah's response that "not all things can be made public" was perceived as an admission that the meeting did take place.