Harshwardhan Sapkal says INDIA bloc will decide on Raj Thackeray-led party’s inclusion
Mumbai: After opposing the inclusion of Raj Thackeray-led MNS in the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, Maharashtra Congress chief Harshwardhan Sapkal has softened his stand, saying the final decision in this regard will be taken by the INDIA bloc parties.
“It would not be correct to comment on the issue as no proposal has been received from the MNS on joining the Opposition INDIA bloc,” said Sapkal on Thursday.
His comments came after Raj Thackeray joined the MVA leaders to meet state election officials raising allegations of large-scale irregularities in the voters list ahead of impending municipal elections in the state. MVA constituents Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP) are also members of the INDIA bloc.
However, Sapkal clarified that the Opposition delegation’s visit to election officials had nothing to do with the MNS’s possible entry into the alliance. “The (opposition) delegation that went to the Election Commission was about the scams in the voter list and the overall flaws in the election process. It was not about which party to include in the alliance or coalition. No proposal has been received from MNS yet regarding the alliance, so it would not be appropriate to comment on it. If (any) party wants to participate in the INDIA bloc, the decision will be taken by the constituent parties of the alliance,” he said.
Sapkal earlier had expressed his reservations about including the Raj Thackeray-led MNS in the opposition MVA alliance, saying “Our negotiations (regarding local civic body election alliances) will be held at the local level. Our local leadership at the district, block and municipal levels will make decisions. We have left all these matters to their decision. Therefore, Congress and Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) do not need another new constituent.”
According to sources, senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has reportedly written to the Congress high command in Delhi opposing Sapkal’s stance against including the MNS in the MVA alliance.
The Maharashtra Congress chief denied any differences between him and Raut. “I have already had a conversation with Sanjay Raut and I would be happy to continue to have a conversation, there is no problem in that regard,” he said.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) and MNS have not yet announced an alliance for the civic polls, though their leaders have confirmed that it is on the cards. However, a section within the Congress is opposed to MNS being included in the opposition MVA alliance fearing it could alienate North Indian and Muslim voters.
