Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Tuesday has termed the Congress party an old cot which is squeaking in the government every now and then. The Sena told Congress that chief minister Uddhav Thackeray is not greedy for power and hinted that the seats of the Legislative Council to be appointed by the governor would be distributed as per the strength in the lower house. 

The editorial in ‘Saamana’ said that internal resentment is inevitable in an alliance of parties with different ideologies. The Congress is an old party with a historical legacy where murmurs of resentment are more, it said.

“The cot is old and creaks often. The cot is very old, but has historical legacy. There are many (leaders) on the cot who change their sides...whether the Congress or NCP, both parties have seasoned politicians who know when to express resentment and when to change sides,” the mouthpiece said. “There are many in the party (Congress) who can change sides. This is the reason why murmurs are being felt. Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should be prepared to tolerate such murmurs in the alliance,” it added. 

While rebutting the Sena, state Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat, however, said the editorial in the Sena mouthpiece is based on wrong information.

It also pointed out that though Balasaheb Thorat and Ashok Chavan, who are senior leaders, have vast experience, they should remember that NCP chief Sharad Pawar and its leaders also have a great experience but are not creaking.  

Noting that there is also a complaint about Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta getting repeated extensions causing resentment in the bureaucracy, the Sena said the issue can be discussed. “But there is no complaint that any illegal work has been done in the government. The entire bureaucracy and the administration are fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, but still, Uddhav Thackeray should hear out Chavan and Thorat,” it said. 

The editorial also said that there is no problem in distributing the seats as per the party strength in the Legislative Assembly.  “The Congress has 44 MLAs, Shiv Sena has 56 (along with other smaller parties, it went to 64), and NCP has 56. Therefore, there would be no problem in distributing the seats as per this ratio,” the editorial said.

Referring to the early morning swearing-in of BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister and NCP's Ajit Pawar as his deputy in November 2019, the Sena also said that there is no threat to the government. Nobody should think that a door of Raj Bhavan would again be opened in the wee hours.

“Uddhav Thackeray has no greed for power. Politics is ultimately for power and there is no one, who does not need power, but Uddhav Thackeray is not a leader who will do anything for it,” the Sena added.