Shiv Sena 'betrayed' poll mandate for Maha CM post: Prakash Javadekar

Union minister and BJP leader Prakash Javadekar on Friday said the Shiv Sena had "betrayed" the mandate of the 2019 assembly elections just to get the Chief Ministers post in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena had snapped ties with the BJP, its pre-poll ally and long-term partner, and joined hands with the Congress and the NCP after the election results to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in November last year.

"The BJP and the Shiv Sena fought the Lok Sabhaand later the assembly elections (in Maharashtra) under (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi's leadership and got the mandate for another term.

"But, the Shiv Sena betrayed the mandate and joined hands with two parties who had been defeated in the elections just to get the chief ministers post," Javadekar said at an event organised by a Marathi news channel.

The Information & Broadcasting Minister claimed differences exist among the ruling MVA allies in Maharashtra.

"The recent history cannot be forgotten. There are inner contradictions among the present ruling allies and the obvious will happen," he said, in an apparent reference to the stability of the Shiv Sena-led government.

Javadekar said the Congress has been left alone at the national level.

"Whatever issues Rahul Gandhi raises like the China issue, has no takers from other opposition parties as well the within the Congress.

"This is because the Congress has become family-centric," he said.

The minister said the Delhi Metro was a classic example that environment protection and development can go hand-in-hand.

"There are 300 stations and 50 lakh commuters use the environment-friendly metro. Five lakh cars are not on the roads (due to the metro system)," said the BJP minister who also holds the Environment, Forest & Climate Change portfolio.

He likened the BJP with the river Ganga.

"The BJP is like flow of the river Ganga. Those who join the BJP see improvement in their work culture," he said.

Javadekar said the government is considering merging film units of the Information and Broadcasting Ministry like Children's Film Society and Films Division into one entity so that existing resources can be utilised effectively.

"Mumbais place as a premier entertainment production centre will be protected, he said.

He said the environment ministry's scheme of creating "jungles" in cities is taking off from Pune.

"We want jungles to be created on forest land in cities. Mumbai has a natural forest cover in form of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park," Javadekar said.