The Congress high command has snubbed Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole for his repeated announcements on going solo in the upcoming polls. Party in-charge of Maharashtra HK Patil, after his meeting with Patole in Delhi, said that the decision will be taken by the high command at an appropriate time. He added that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government will complete its five-year term.
Patil informed that Patole and he had discussed a slew of initiatives to strengthen the party organisation in the state. “There are no elections now. The high command will decide the party's future course of action ahead of the assembly and Lok Sabha elections,” he noted.
The MVA government is doing a good job and will complete its five-year term, he asserted. “There are no differences among ruling partners -Shiv Sena, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress. Operation Lotus will not succeed in the state, as the MVA government is strong and stable. The ruling MVA partners are working based on a common minimum programme,” he said.
Patil’s statement is important as senior ministers Ajit Pawar, Jayant Patil, Balasaheb Thorat, Ashok Chavan, Eknath Shinde and Anil Parab, on Tuesday, had met Patole after the MVA government’s coordination committee meeting and asked him not to go on making announcements of the Congress party going solo in the upcoming polls. They argued that it would give a handle for the opposition to target the MVA government.
Earlier, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, at Shiv Sena’s 55th anniversary function, had slammed Congress over these announcements. “Shiv Sena would also talk the same, because ‘swabal’ (strength of self) was its right, but we believed that it wasn’t just about the elections, but also about taming disasters like the pandemic, seeking justice for the people and keeping one’s pride intact,” Thackeray said.
Meanwhile, Patole made a strong case of holding elections to the post of state assembly speaker during the two-day monsoon session slated for July 5 and July 6. He added that the Congress candidate will comfortably win the election.
