MUMBAI: On the eve of the completion of two years of the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi government in Maharashtra, Union Minister Narayan Rane has claimed that the BJP will form the government in the state in March.
Rane’s statement came on a day the leader of opposition Devendra Fadnavis and state BJP president Chandrakant Patil, as well as NCP Chief Sharad Pawar and his party MP Praful Patel, were in New Delhi. Their visit to the national Capital immediately ignited speculation that something was amiss.
"The BJP will form a government in Maharashtra in March,’’ said Rane, adding that toppling and formation of governments is a hush-hush affair and it cannot be discussed in public. ''State BJP president Chandrakant Patil has also spoken about this and I hope it happens,'' Rane noted.
But hours after Rane’s prediction, Fadnavis, after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, said he was not aware of any such political moves.
On the other hand, the Maha Vikas Aghadi partners -- the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress -- ridiculed Rane's claim. They argued that the government is stable and urged the BJP to desist from issuing deadlines for the collapse of the government; because of this, people were laughing at the BJP.
Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut took a dig at Rane saying that he is the minister of micro, small and medium enterprises and not in charge of large industries. ‘’Giving a date of ouster of the MVA government is not a micro or small enterprise but a large one. It is not within Rane's ambit. For overthrowing the MVA government, the BJP needs to set up a separate department at the Centre. It is not possible for the BJP dispensation to dislodge the state government,’’ he said. ‘’Don’t announce dates (for collapse of the MVA government) as people will laugh and ridicule you (BJP),’’ he noted.
On the other hand, Water Resources Minister and state NCP Chief Jayant Patil responded with sarcasm. He "thanked" Rane for "extending them time till March". "Thus far, BJP leaders have given five to six different dates. If they want to save their party, such claims have to be made and such an atmosphere has to be created," he added.
Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole also asserted that the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress government will complete its full term. "The BJP keeps making big predictions and they don't come true. Nobody believes in the BJP,'' he added.
Incidentally, both BJP and NCP sources played down the significance of the visits of their respective leaders to the national capital at the same time.
The MVA government was formed in November 2019, after Assembly elections, as the Shiv Sena walked out of its decades-old alliance with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief minister's post.
