Shiv Sena insulted people's mandate in Maharashtra, not BJP: Amit Shah

NEW DELHI: Union Home Minister and BJP chief Amit Shah on Wednesday lashed out at the Shiv Sena and accused its president Uddhav Thackeray of betraying the mandate given by the people of Maharashtra after the assembly election. ''Shiv Sena insulted people's mandate, and not the BJP,'' Amit Shah said, stressing the mandate in Maharashtra is with the his party. 

"All I want to ask - Who broke the mandate? We didn't. We did neither camp our MLAs nor made them hostage in hotels. Those who made camps didn't do anything wrong? Those who broke alliances to form the government are not wrong? We are at the receiving end. The mandate is with us. We are not forming the government ... It is our fault," he jibed at his critics.

Lashing out at the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena and Congress - the three alliance partners of the Maha Vikas Aghadi - Shah said the three parties which had staked claim to form the government in Maharashtra did so by shedding their ideologies and principles. In a  series of tweets, the BJP president said,'' Those who put their MLAs in camps, broke the pre-poll alliance, are today blaming the BJP. Leaving their ideology, these three parties are going to form the government after abandoning all values.'' 

Attacking Uddhav Thackeray's party, Shah reiterated that he never promised Shiv Sena the CM's post before the assembly election.

Accusing Shiv Sena of being power-hungry, Shah said, "Isn't giving support in lieu of the chief minister's post greed? I want to tell Sharad (Pawar) Ji and Sonia (Gandhi) Ji that they should try saying that the chief minister will be theirs and then take the support of Shiv Sena. The coalition with about 100 seats is giving the chief minister's post to the 56-seat party, this is horse-trading."

Shah also sought to make it clear that the BJP never agreed to the so-called ''50-50 power-sharing deal'' and having a rotational chief minister for Maharashtra.

"I again clarify that we never gave any assurance to the Shiv Sena for the post of Chief Minister. Every time, even in the meetings where Aditya Thackeray or Uddhavji were on the stage with us, we also said that Devendra Fadnavis would become the chief minister of Maharashtra, Why did he not protest then?"

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, who was nominated as the Maha-Vikas Aghadi's chief ministerial candidate, will be sworn in at a grand ceremony at Mumbai's Shivaji Park at 6.30 pm on Thursday.

It may be recalled that UPA chief Sonia Gandhi, Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, DMK chief MK Stalin are among those who have been invited for the swearing-in ceremony which will be held on Thursday.

Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde had confirmed that Sonia Gandhi has been invited for the oath ceremony on Thursday. Congress' Vijay Wadewattiwar further said that all Congress chief ministers, and prominent opposition leaders including Stalin, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Arvind Kejriwal have also been also invited.

BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had submitted his resignation on Tuesday from the post of chief minister to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari after "the BJP fell short of the required number of MLAs to win the scheduled floor test."