Mumbai: With conjectures doubting the effectiveness of all the opposition parties are surfacing ahead of assembly elections, to be held on October 21. Former chief minister of Maharashtra and Congress politician, Prithviraj Chavan, Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Raut and leader of opposition and chief of Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA), Prakash Ambedkar came together under one roof at a panel discussion at the India Today Conclave.
On Saturday, the senior politicians spoke on the challenges that lie ahead for the opposition parties ahead of the assembly elections.
Since the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) landsliding victory in the recently concluded Loksabha Elections, horse trading increased in the entire polity of Maharashtra with senior leaders of both the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) switching sides to join the BJP-Sena alliance. Thus bringing the party’s agenda of an – “Opposition Mukt” India into action.
“The BJP is walking over the opposition parties which are a major threat to the democracy, tomorrow they might amend the constitution for their benefit as well,” said Chavan.
Highlighting his party’s dismal performances at the Loksabha elections and 2014 state elections, the congress leader accepted, there were ineffective leadership and internal factors which led to the party’s predicament. He have also mentioned the members have learnt from their mistakes and will revive the party once it comes to power.
“Our mission for our new government is to oppose BJP’s one party strategy for the protection of our democracy along with economic reforms, unemployment and rural development in the state of Maharashtra.
VBA’s Prakash Ambedkar has aimed to offer an alternative in politics for the people of Maharashtra. His party recently closed doors for the Congress stating time for negotiation for being allies is over. “There is no difference between the Congress and BJP, the former believed in soft Hindutva, while the latter believed in hard Hindutva,” said Ambedkar.
He further mentioned, when the talks for alliance was on between his party and Congress, the later party was not flexible during the seat sharing negotiations and their sense of superiority and authoritarianism forced Ambedkar to close the doors for his party, which Chavan denied immediately with a straight face.
“The Congress believes in hierarchical system and this belief of theirs is eating the party,” he added.
Ambedkar informed for the upcoming elections VBA’s manifesto will include alternative economic reforms and proper usage of water resources. The priority of the party is to back the agro based industries and unite all the castes and communities thus giving the state a socialist and democratic outlook.
BJP’ s alliance, Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Raut asserted the spirit of Bal Thackeray is alive within every Shiv Sainik. Their alliance with the BJP is intact and the party believe in the vision of both Narendra Modi and Uddhav Thackeray. “Narendra Modi is the prime minister and Uddhav Thackeray is our leader, our voters will vote keeping both of them,” said Raut.
Amid the rising tension between both the parties of the regarding the “seat sharing” ratio and the post of the chief minister, the senior MP informed, both the party believe in 50-50 sharing of both seat and power.
“Shiv Sena is a fearless party and democratic as well, we are moving towards the vision of a new India and we will accomplish it, credibility doesn’t matter as long as the unity of the party is intact,” stated Raut
