Television news anchors in the past week have been screaming about cracks in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which is an alliance of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, and the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray).
Ever since Sharad Pawar gave an interview to a private news channel and said that he was not in favour of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe, news anchors have had several theories about the future of MVA.
The Free Press Journal caught up with Priyanka Chaturvedi, the feisty leader and Member of Parliament of the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray), and asked her whether there was any truth in the rumours floating around.
Excerpts:
Q: Television has been abuzz with speculation that the MVA is going to split, and NCP is the party which is cosying up to BJP. Is there any truth in this?
A: You must stop watching television. This is what I call the ‘Balajification" of news. Earlier what I mean is there was period where Doordarshan was making content, we moved to a phase where we produced like a machine content by the hour somewhere down the line you lose the quality of the content. Content is now created to consume faster, and we see many such conversations happening and don’t watch tv and MVA is strong.
Q: Sharad Pawar speaking on national TV about Gautam Adani, is the coalition united at all?
A: This is not how coalitions should work. Coalitions work based on consensus agreements, what are your issues and what are my issues, just like in a marriage where a husband and wife need to necessarily agree on everything. So, I will speak on issues where I feel people should realise that their money is being invested beyond their knowledge by a company which has a dubious record right now. We may respectfully disagree. They have a point of view and NCP is not the only party which is insisting on why do we need a JPC, there is a TMC too, but everyone is united in their belief that there are some questions on the functioning of the group, and they should be investigated. The way the wealth of the group has increased from 2014 to 2023, it speaks of ‘Adani Badhao Karyakram’ by the PM and his entire cabinet. We should not run away from the responsibility of seeking a JPC, that is my feeling, that is my party’s feeling and that is the feeling of 19 other opposition parties. One or two may differ but they still feel there should be some accountability and transparency. The SC monitored probe is limited in scope, the expert committee has been asked to check the functioning of SEBI, not questioning SEBI. The power of JPC is that it can summon the Prime Minister of this country and you get to know the contours of how systematic failure could have happened in this case.
Q: As a Mumbaikar, what is the biggest problem of the city and how can it be changed?
A: As a Mumbaikar, I would say some pleasant urban planning which is more convenient for people to walk rather than take cabs, more places for people to unwind and relax and I totally love the concept of a 24/7 Mumbai like Delhi. As a Mumbaikar, I also want some aesthetical designing, keeping in mind the ethos of the city and not just designing for the sake of it. Something like what I have done with the Birla Lane project and how we have aesthetically beautified it and ensure there are gardens for the community to use.
Watch Full Interview:
