Shiv Sena slams Ajit Pawar, BJP, claims Fadnavis' government will fall

After the Shiv Sena-Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) put up a show of strength by parading 162 of their MLAs at a five-star hotel in Mumbai on Monday (November 25), the Shiv Sena on Tuesday (November 26) slammed NCP supremo Sharad Pawar's nephew Ajit Pawar for riding on his uncle's hard work to make a name for himself in politics. In an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, Shiv Sena challenged Ajit Pawar to start his own party and show the world that he has the guts to become a political leader on his own.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party also claimed that the chief whip and leader of legislative party posts were two different posts and a senior NCP leader had made it clear that the party had not appointed a chief whip till two days ago. It is to be noted that Ajit Pawar was chosen as NCP legislative party leader just a week after the declaration of Maharashtra Assembly election results on October 24. According to Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP alliance, has claimed that Ajit Pawar has misused his position as legislative party leader to support the BJP without the permission of party chief Sharad Pawar and other NCP MLAs.

The Shiv Sena also came down heavily on its former ally Bharatiya Janata Party, asking that if Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had the majority to run the government. The Shiv Sena said that if the BJP has the required number then why did the party appoint four devils for ‘Operation Lotus’ to break the MLAs of other parties. 

“Nitin Gadkari has compared this to cricket. Let us also tell him that let there be match-fixing but these gamblers won't be able to defeat 'satyamev jayate'. When majority will be proved, the 105 martyrs of Maharashtra will be happy. We want to tell the people of Maharashtra, don't worry,” said the Saamana editorial.

In a related development, the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered that Maharashtra floor test should be held before 5 pm on Wednesday (November 27). The top court pronounce its order on a joint petition filed by Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP against the decision of Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to invite the BJP to form government in the state. 

On Monday, the SC had reserved the order after a bench of Justices NV Ramana, Ashok Bhushan, and Sanjiv Khanna heard the arguments put forth by counsels appearing for Governor, Maharashtra BJP and other parties. The petitions were filed after BJP`s Devendra Fadnavis took oath for the second consecutive term as the state Chief Minister, with NCP`s Ajit Pawar as his Deputy Chief Minister on Saturday morning.