MUMBAI: Accusing the Uddhav Thackeray government in Maharashtra of meting out step-motherly treatment, the state Congress unit has expressed its displeasure over power-sharing and other key party decisions.
The party has expressed its discontent to the party chief over not getting the due share and respect in the coalition government. Sources in the party said that Sonia Gandhi had conveyed that it is up to the state Congress leaders if they want to part ways with the Thackeray government.
Senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan said that the keeping BJP out of power should not be read as weakness of the Congress. He said that the voice of the Congress ministers is not heard in the Thackeray government. “I am confident that the chief minister will address all these issues and power will be distributed in a fair and manner among the three-party governments,” said Chavan.
Sources in Congress said that during the preceding Rajya Sabha polls, the NCP fielded its second candidate Faujiya Khan without consulting with the party. “When the nine seats of Maharashtra state legislative council was held, each of the three parties could have fielded two candidates and won. But here also, the Congress was forced to elect only one candidate because chief minister Uddhav Thackeray wanted an unopposed election. We were forced to withdraw the second candidate's name despite the announcement. We ate the humble pie and that time Thackeray had promised the fair and equal share of power,” said a senior Congress leader.
He further said that now the twelve state legislative council seats are needed to be filled through the governor quota where each ruling party should get four seats.
“But we have been told that the Congress will get only three MLC seats while the Shiv Sena and the NCP will get five and four respectively. They are now talking about the party’s strength in the assembly. This is completely unfair. The question is how Congress should tolerate this step-motherly treatment in every decision taken by the Maha Vikas Aghadi,” he added requested anonymity.
Maharashtra Congress president Balasaheb Thorat said that it is true that their ministers are unhappy with the government, but they are not yet walking out of the government. He said that they are confident that the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray will resolve all these issues. “Maha Vikas Aghadi is a three-party government and it should not look like it is being ruled by Shiv Sena and the NCP alone. The Congress party should be consulted while taking any policy and major bureaucratic transfer decisions. Without Congress support, this government was not possible that everyone should understand,” Thorat warned.