KALABURAGI, BELAGAVI, BENGALURU: Amid the ongoing political crisis in Maharashtra, politics across the border in Karnataka are indulging in a war of words. While Karnataka Large Scale Industries Minister Murugesh Nirani said that the BJP is not a part of “sanyasi to shut its eyes when opportunities knock on its doors, Congress leader and former minister Priyank Kharge said the developments in Maharashtra are “against the ethos of democracy.”
“If Shiv Sena rebel MLAs seek the support of BJP to form a coalition government, we will support them. It is not immoral as BJP and Shiv Sena were in alliance for over 25 years and ideologies of both the parties are similar,” Nirani said. Calling the Maha Vikas Aghadi, a coalition of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress, as “immoral”, Nirani said a majority of the Sena MLAs had become rebels owing to the attitude of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray as he gave priority to legislators of NCP and Congress. “If Shiv Sena rebels join hands with BJP, we will give good governance in Maharashtra,” Nirani said.
In contrast, Chittapur Congress MLA Priyank Kharge hit out at the BJP over ‘Operation Kamala’. “The practice of buying elected MLAs is against morality and democracy. Dethroning non-BJP governments in different states like Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh and replacing them with BJP or BJP-led governments has become a practice after Narendra Modi became the PM,” he said. On murmurs that a few Congress leaders in Karnataka were planning to join BJP, Priyank said, “If anybody wants to quit, let them do it before elections. It is unfair to quit the party after being elected.”
MANY REBEL INDEPENDENTS CLOSE AIDES OF PAWAR: SANJAY
BELAGAVI: Many independent MLAs from the ruling coalition in Maharashtra who have joined the Eknath Shinde camp are close associates of NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, said former BJP MLA Sanjay Patil, in Belagavi on Saturday. Hitting out at the MVA coalition, Patil said that CM Uddhav Thackeray is not a clever politician. “Pawar was making use of Shiv Sena’s dilemma and trying to create uncertainty,” alleged Patil, who is a former Shiv Sena leader. Balasaheb always opposed Congress and had said he would never have an alliance with that party, he added. Both BJP and Shiv Sena strongly support the Hindutva ideology, but Uddhav entered into the coalition to become chief minister, he said.