JOIN USBJP has not held any talks with Eknath Shinde, not received any proposal: Mungantiwar
Senior Maharashtra BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar on Monday claimed his party has not held any discussion with rebel Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde nor received any proposal from him, against the backdrop of the current crisis that has gripped the MVA government.
Mungantiwar said BJP has adopted a “wait and watch” strategy after state BJP's core committee met here and also discussed the Supreme Court order. “We have neither held any discussions with Eknath Shinde so far nor have we received any proposal from his side,” the former finance minister told reporters after attending the meeting at the residence of Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis.
Shinde is camping in Guwahati with a bulk of Shiv Sena MLAs, including nine ministers who were divested of their portfolios on Monday. When asked about what transpired at the core committee meeting, Mungantiwar said, “We discussed the Supreme Court's order. We will adopt a wait and watch stand”.
In a relief to rebel Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde, the Supreme Court kept in abeyance the disqualification proceedings before the Deputy Speaker of the state Assembly till July 11, and also sought responses from the state government and others on their pleas questioning the legality of notices seeking their disqualification. Mungantiwar said the entire state machinery seems to be in "coma and the people are feeling oppressed due to the current political crisis in the state".
Accusing the Uddhav Thackeray-led party of deceiving the popular mandate in favour of the Sena-BJP combine after the 2019 polls, Mungantiwar said Thackeray felt that he should become the chief minister. “You have seen for how many days has he (Thackeray) come to Mantralaya,” the BJP leader said. The BJP, Mungantiwar claimed, is not hungry for power but it will work with full force for the welfare of the people and ensure progress of Maharashtra.