Amid the political crisis in Maharashtra following senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde's rebellion, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar on Thursday said the situation will change when the rebel MLAs come back to Mumbai from Assam's Guwahati.
Expressing confidence that Maha Vikas Aghadi government would survive this storm, Pawar said a floor test will decide who has the majority.
The senior politician also slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) without taking any names. "Everyone knows how the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs were taken to Gujarat & then Assam. We don't have to take the names of all those assisting them...Assam Government is helping them. I don't need to take any names further," he said.
Earlier, NCP leader and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar said his party will stand with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray till the end. "We will stand with Uddhav Thackeray ji till the end. We are keeping an eye on the current political situation," said Pawar.
Reacting to Sena MP Sanjay Raut's statement that the party is ready to come out of the MVA government if the rebel MLAs are willing for it, Pawar said it is the responsibility of all the three parties (NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena) to save the government. "It is the responsibility of all the three parties (NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena) to save the government. Only Sanjay Raut knows why he made such a statement," said the Dy CM.
Senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal reiterated party's stand that they will stand with Thackeray till the end.
"We stand with CM Uddhav Thackeray & will support him till the last moment... We have numbers for the govt as no MLA of Shiv Sena has resigned nor Shiv Sena has expelled anyone from the party," he said.
Maharashtra NCP chief Jayant Patil, meanwhile, said that if the Shiv Sena-led MVA government falls the NCP will prefer to sit in Opposition.
"We had a meeting at the residence of Sharad Pawar. An assessment of incidents in the last three-four days was done. Pawar sahib told us that we should do everything that needs to be done to ensure that the government remains. We will stand with Uddhav Thackeray, with this Govt," said Patil.
He further said that the Chief Ministerial post has been given to Shiv Sena and it is their internal decision whom they want to give it to.
"Chief Ministerial post has been given to Shiv Sena, it's their internal decision whom they want to give it to. If the government stays we will be in power, if the government goes we will sit in Opposition," he added as he asserted that NCP won't join hands with any other party.
