Mumbai: The Congress Party’s dithering continued on Saturday even as all other major parties were preoccupied with the drama unfolding in Maharashtra.
The party yet again failed to elect its legislative party leader in a meeting on Saturday, where MLAs passed a resolution giving all the rights to Congress acting president Sonia Gandhi to appoint the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader.
A senior Congress leader said, “A resolution on electing the CLP leader and other office-bearers has been moved by the state Congress president Balasaheb Thorat. The resolution was seconded by former chief ministers Ashok Chavan, Prithviraj Chavan and senior party leader Vijay Wadettiwar and was unanimous.”
Meanwhile, party sources said that all the 44 legislators would be shifted from Maharashtra to Congress-ruled Rajasthan in order to keep the flock together. “We may go to Jaipur tomorrow. We will be there until the special session of the Legislative Assembly is convened for the newly-elected MLAs to take oath, the election of the Speaker and the trust vote,” Congress MLA Nana Patole said.
Former chief minister Ashok Chavan said it was clear that Devendra Fadnavis had “misled the governor” and added that he did not have the support of the majority of legislators.
“When Mr Fadnavis resigned as chief minister after the BJP said it was not in the position to form the government, he had said his party would not poach MLAs. Now he must resign as they don’t have the numbers,” Mr Chavan said.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, senior Congress leader Ahmed Patel said that Saturday’s early morning developments would be written in black letters in Maharashtra history. “I get smell of something is wrong somewhere,” said Mr Patel.
Condemning the Bharatiya Janata Party’s move, he said, “They (BJP) have violated the provisions of the Constitution.”
This is the height of shamefulness.”
The Congress leader reminded mediapersons that his party had principally agreed to form the government with the Sena and the NCP. “We were on board on everything. There were some issues left for discussion with our allies,” he said.
When asked whether the Congress was still with Shiv Sena and NCP, the Congress leader said that all the three parties were together and would defeat the BJP during the trust vote (floor test). He said that all MLAs were present for Saturday’s meeting, except two who were at their home towns.
