Mumbai: Aday after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sudhir Mungantiwar threatened that unless a new government was in place by November 7, Maharashtra was staring at the possibility of President’s rule, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator and spokesperson Nawab Malik stated, the Opposition was ready to form an alternative government if the BJP tried to impose presidential rule.
“President’s rule is an insult to the people’s mandate. If the BJP tries to oppose the formation of the government, the Opposition will not simply sit back and let that happen,” said Malik on Saturday. He said, “If the saffron alliance parties fail to come to a conclusion, the NCP will demand a floor test. We will not allow Narendra Modi and Amit Shah to control Maharashtra from outside.”
He further stated, both the NCP and the Congress respect the mandate given and are ready to sit in the Opposition, but if the Sena refuses to join hands with the BJP, both the Congress and the NCP will stake claim to form the government. Speaking of a possible alliance with the Sena, Malik confirmed, no official talks have been initiated between the two parties, but to oppose the BJP’s authoritarianism, the NCP may consider extending support to the Sena.
Echoing Malik’s sentiment, Congress spokesperson and general secretary of the state unit, Sachin Sawant stated, with such threats, the BJP has insulted the office of the President.
“The BJP has spoken as if the President is a puppet in their hands. This is clearly an insult to the President’s position and democracy,” said Sawant. “The assembly poll outcome has hurt the BJP’s ego. The ruling party was overconfident about winning a majority, but is now struggling to form a government,” he observed.
“The people’s mandate has shattered the BJP’s arrogance and this is why they now want to take over in an undemocratic manner,” he added.
Asked about a possible alliance with the Sena, Sawant confirmed, no official proposal has come from the Sena. Also on Saturday, the Sena took a fresh jibe at the BJP in its mouthpiece Saamna, edited by its MP Sanjay Raut, equating the threat of presidential rule to that of the Mughal era.
In a blistering editorial, the Sena claimed, like the Mughals, the BJP feels the law and the Constitution are its slaves. It has accused the BJP of behaving as if it is born to rule and is now threatening to impose President’s rule.
The present term of the Maharashtra government ends on November 8 and the people of Maharashtra want a chief minister from their party, said the editorial. The BJP continues to maintain that the CM will be from its party.
