Cong at loss for not taking up Dy CM’s post, says Manikrao Thakre

The Congress party, which is a junior ally in the Shiv Sena-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government after one year and two months for the first time has claimed that the party has suffered a major loss as it could not get the deputy chief minister’s post in the government. Former state unit chief Manikrao Thakre said, “The Congress has suffered a loss due to not taking the post of Deputy Chief Minister in the government. I hope the central party leadership will think about this.’’

Thakre’s statement comes amid the raging controversy over the renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhaji Nagar. The Congress party has strongly opposed the proposed renaming while Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray snubbed the ruling ally saying that the coalition's agenda adheres to secularism but Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb “does not fit into it”.

Congress has been repeatedly airing its views of lack of enough say in the decision making and functioning of the government compared to Shiv Sena and NCP. Thakre’s admission needs to be seen against this backdrop.