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Sought written undertaking from Uddhav Thackeray before MVA govt took over: Ashok Chavan

Last Updated 11 May 2020, 12:54 IST

In yet another controversial statement, senior Congressman and Public Works Department Minister Ashok Chavan said that the Sonia Gandhi-led party hand sought a written undertaking from the Shiv Sena that "the government would function under the ambit of Constitution" before the Maha Vikas Aghadi government took over.

Chavan, a former chief minister and ex-Maharashtra Congress president, is one of the seniormost members of the government led by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is also the unanimous leader of the MVA.

"Sonia Gandhi has given us clear guidelines... She told us that we should first get in writing (from Shiv Sena) that the government would function under the ambit of the Constitution and should not violate its Preamble... We were told to convey this to Uddhav Thackeray... He agreed and he formed the government," Chavan said in his hometown Nanded during the Republic Day celebrations.

Chavan, who is the son of ex-chief minister and former Union home minister Shankarrao Chavan, said that as chief minister he had run the coalition government of two parties and now it is a matter of three parties.

While Thackeray had not reacted to the comments, his close aide and Urban Development Minister Eknath Shinde said that the MVA government runs on the common minimum programme that the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress agreed to.

Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: "Why should Shiv Sena stay in the government if alliance partners do not have faith."

Senior BJP leader and former MP Kirit Somaiya said: "Ashok Chavan says Shiv Sena given written undertaking to Sonia Gandhi, Congress to form government in Maharashtra. People of Maharashtra would like to know details. The written surrender agreement be made public. What and how much compromise done," he asked.

On Chavan's statement, Revenue Minister and state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said that he has not seen what his party colleague had said.

"What I can say is that ours is a multi-starer movie... The government will complete five years. The government runs on CMP and Constitution," he said.

Fadnavis, however, said that the MVA was a "horror film" that would end soon.

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(Published 27 January 2020, 14:25 IST)

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