MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena on Monday formed a ‘shadow cabinet’ in the state and gave the ‘tourism portfolio’ to chief Raj Thackeray’s son Amit, in the process pitting him against state Tourism Minister and cousin Aaditya Thackeray. Amit’s name was announced for shadow tourism minister, and ‘law and judiciary minister.’ On Monday, the MNS also celebrated its 14th Foundation Day.
“Election is part of politics. We have decided to work harder for the development of the people. To be a more responsible Opposition leader, I have decided to form the shadow cabinet that will find out loopholes in government decisions and policies. If the government is doing good work, then it is our duty to praise the government as well,” MNS chief Raj Thackeray told his party workers in Navi Mumbai.
Thackeray said that in Delhi elections, the Congress did not get a single seat.
“MNS fought the recent state elections and won that one seat. Ups and downs are part of politics. It will not dampen our morale and spirit of party workers. We will accept the defeat and will contest the next elections with more planning and determination. I am very happy and fortunate that my workers never left me alone even during crisis period. They stood with the party and its decisions.
They really worked hard to expand the party base in last 14 years,” Thackeray said.
The rivalry between Raj and Uddhav was part of the state’s political grapevine when the former was with the Sena, and out in the open when he walked to form the MNS on March 9, 2006.
The shadow cabinet, a legacy of British parliamentary politics, comprises a team of senior spokespeople chosen by the leader of the Opposition to mirror the Cabinet.
Each member of the shadow cabinet is appointed to lead on a specific policy area and to challenge their counterpart in the Cabinet. In this way, the official opposition seeks to present itself as an alternative government-in-waiting.
Probable shadow cabinet list