BENGALURU: Even as an air of uncertainty hangs over the Devendra Fadnavis-led coalition government in Maharashtra, Union Minister DV Sadananda Gowda on Saturday said there is no threat to it and hit out at the BJP’s former ally Shiv Sena. “The Sena will be wiped out in the next six months to one year,” he said.
Reacting to the swift political developments in which Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar took oath as CM and Deputy CM early on Saturday, the Union minister said the BJP, which had emerged as the single-largest party after the elections, was hoping to form the government with its long-time ally, the Shiv Sena, but the latter went after power.
“The Shiv Sena was demanding the CM’s post and was exploring the possibility of forming a government in alliance with NCP and Congress. The party has dug its own grave and will not exist in the next six months to one year,” Gowda said, justifying the formation of the BJP-NCP government.
BJP leaders, including Gowda, who were busy campaigning for the party candidates who are contesting December 5 bypolls in Karnataka, celebrated the formation of the BJP-NCP government in Maharashtra by distributing sweets at the party office.
Meanwhile, former Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy termed the developments in Maharashtra as opportunist politics. “The BJP formed the government with the NCP that had worked against it in the elections. No one in politics have any morality left in them and no one can discuss about morality, including me,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
Ajit Pawar’s move to form the government with the BJP is being seen as a repeat of what JDS leader H D Kumaraswamy had done in 2006 when he had formed the government with the BJP, despite opposition from his father and former PM H D Deve Gowda.