Maharashtra / Shiv Sena, Cong, NCP standing together, will remain together: Raut

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday assured that the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance stands united and is committed to complete its 5-year term in the Maharashtra government, saying that the attempts to break the alliance will go in vain.

This comes in the backdrop of growing discontent in MVA, especially Congress which indicated that it may opt for fighting the elections separately.

“The parties in MVA – Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP – support the Chief Minister. They are standing together and will remain together. We are committed to run the government for five years,” Raut said.

Hitting out at the opposition, Raut said, “Outsiders who want to form government in the state and are restless after losing power may try but the alliance will continue. People may try to break Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP but they would not succeed.”

This also comes day after a Shiv Sena legislator wrote a damning letter urging the leadership to patch up with BJP. While the BJP has distanced itself from his suggestions, the Congress has assured that there is “no threat” to the MVA government headed by Sena chief and CM Uddhav Thackeray.

Earlier in the day, Mumbai Congress chief Bhai Jagtap confirmed that the party will contest the BMC elections alone and not with the Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance.

On Sunday, Congress Maharashtra unit chief Nana Patole said that the three-party MVA alliance, comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, was formed in Maharashtra for five years and it is not a permanent fixture.

Patole on June 14, too, indicated that the party will contest the next Assembly polls alone and not as partners of MVA alliance.

Reacting to the indication, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray, on Saturday, said that people would “beat with chappals” those who only talk about contesting polls alone without offering solutions to people’s problems.

When asked regarding the letter of the Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray where Sarnaik had urged Thackeray to come to terms with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the former alliance partner BJP, Raut said, “This is his opinion but the role of the party is decided by the party chief Uddhav Thackeray after discussing with all.”

Taking a jibe on the opposition, Raut said that on the occasion of International Yoga Day, the opposition leaders should perform Shavasana.