New Delhi: Amid hectic developments involving the I.N.D.I.A opposition bloc in non-BJP states of West Bengal, Bihar and Punjab, the Maha Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra held a crucial meeting on seat-sharing in Mumbai on Thursday and decided to expand the anti-BJP coalition with the inclusion of Prakash Ambedkar-led Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and Raju Shetti-led Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS), a leading farmers’ group.
The next meeting of the MVA is slated on 30 January in Mumbai, when Ambedkar would be present even as efforts are underway to convince Shetti to join the formation.
In Thursday’s meeting, Congress Working Committee member Ashok Chavan, a former Chief Minister and State Congress President, Congress Legislative Party leader Balasaheb Thorat, state Congress President Nana Patole, his Mumbai counterpart Prof Varsha Gaikwad, state NCP President Jayant Patil and Dr Jitendra Awhad, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Vinayak Raut and representatives of CPI and CPI(M) were present.
In the morning, Patole, Patil and Raut, in the MVA letterhead invited Ambedkar for the talks, however, he turned it down - apparently annoyed by the Congress over delays in sealing the deal.
Ambedkar wanted a formal letter from Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP President Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.
Ambedkar communicated this to Patole, saying: “On one hand, the AICC In-charge for Maharashtra Ramesh Chennithala in a press conference on Tuesday at Congress Bhawan in Pune, where you (Patole) were sitting beside him, explicitly stated that VBA will be included in MVA once the elections are announced, on other hand, you are posting invitation signed by yourself.”
“The other two signatories (Patil and Raut) in the letter have, concisely and clearly, shared with me in my multiple meetings that the Congress high-command has not bestowed you with any decision-making authority for alliance and coalition-related decisions in Maharashtra. In the meetings with Shiv Sena, I have been told that both Shiv Sena (UBT) and NCP correspond directly with either Rahul Gandhi and Kharge and does not keep you in the loop because you do not have authority in decision-making in both MVA and I.N.D.I.A,” Ambedkar said in a strongly-worded letter.
“Has the AICC or the Congress high-command allowed you to take decisions pertaining to coalition and alliance in Maharashtra? On Wednesday, in a press conference in Aurangabad, our chief spokesperson Siddharth Mokle very clearly said that the signatories in any invitation to VBA has to be the presidents of the respective parties in the MVA Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and Mallikarjun Kharge,” Ambedkar further said.
He said on part of Congress, the letter can be signed by Kharge, Chennithala, Sonia Gandhi or Rahul Gandhi - and VBA would attend.
Later, Chennithala and Patil spoke to Ambedkar and convinced him to join the next meeting, which he agreed.