Mumbai: Taking a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Sanjay Raut declared there was no Dushyant Chautala in Maharashtra whose father was in jail; hence the Sena had no reason to back off from its demands.
“There's no Dushyant Chautala here whose father is in jail. We do politics of truth in Maharashtra. if someone tries to keep us away from power, it's not called politics of truth. We are seeing what's happening and how low people can stoop. Sena believes in politics of dharma and truth,” said Raut on Tuesday.
It was a reference to the way the BJP had cobbled up a government in Haryana where it fell six short of the magic number after the recently concluded assembly election. It formed the government with the Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party (JJP), whose poll pitch had been based on anti-BJP rhetoric and Jat consolidation.
Dushyant's father Ajay Chautala and grandfather Om Prakash Chautala were convicted of corruption in a teachers' recruitment scam and sentenced to ten years' rigorous imprisonment. They are lodged in Tihar Jail and Ajay was released on a 14-day furlough a day after BJP chief Amit Shah and Dushyant announced their deal in Delhi, sitting on the sprawling lawns of the BJP's president's residence.
Further, said Raut, the BJP had stooped to the lowest level as it had failed to acknowledge the 50-50 formula made between the senior leaders of parties in the presence of Union minister and BJP national chief Amit Shah. “I do not know what the Chief Minister has said. If he is saying that the '50-50 formula' was never discussed, then I think we need to change the definition of the truth. What was discussed, regarding the issue the chief minister is talking about, is known by all. The media was there,” added Raut.
On Saturday, after the meeting between the Sena chief and the 56 newly elected MLAs, the Sena had demanded a written affirmation from the BJP honouring power-sharing on a 50:50 basis, which includes rotation of the CM post for 2.5 years each between both parties and an equal number of ministers in the cabinet.
The Sena leaders had also threatened to break off the alliance were their demands not met with clarity, Raut said. “Uddhavji has said, we have other options open, but we don’t want to commit the sin of resorting to alternatives, as Sena is not hungry for power”.
Sources close to the Sena also confirmed, the party is determined that it needs the CM’s post to be split and they are waiting for Amit Shah to visit. Sena leaders are also planning to skip Fadnavis’s swearing-in if their demands are not met.
