MVA govt firmly in saddle, will respond to BJP's 'falsehood': Sanjay Raut
Mumbai: Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said the BJP in Maharashtra was under the wrong impression that it can shake the state MVA government by levelling "false allegations" against legislators and ministers.
The Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA- comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) has "decided to fight back" and respond to such tactics to ensure stability in the state, Raut, who is in New Delhi, told a news channel.
He said NCP president Sharad Pawar was like a "father figure" to Maharashtra Chief Minister and Sena head Uddhav Thackeray, amid speculation in state political circles over differences among the MVA allies.
"Delhi has been dug up for the Central Vista project and traffic routes have been changed, but the BJP should know that the path of the Maharashtra government cannot be changed," the Rajya Sabha member said.
Notably, the state BJP unit recently wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for a CBI investigation against Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and Shiv Sena minister Anil Parab into the allegations levelled against them by dismissed Mumbai cop Sachin Waze.
Referring to it, Raut said if the BJP feels it can destabilise and weaken the MVA with such tactics, "it is wrong".
"It is impossible to weaken the MVA by implicating legislators and ministers in false cases with the help of central investigating agencies," the Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson asserted.
He said there are no problems among the MVA partners.
"The MVA has become stronger after the one-on-one meeting of Uddhav Thackeray with Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
Asked about the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray held earlier this week, Raut said it has been decided to fight back all false allegations and respond to the charges (levelled by opposition).
Likening the MVA allies to 'Pandavas' (characters of the epic Mahabharat), the Sena leader said "the Pandavas were guided by Lord Krishna and stood for the truth, while 'Kauravas' stood for falsehood and sought power by any means".
Asked if he was calling the opposition BJP as 'Kauravas', he said, "The Kauravas were a symbol (of falsehood). I am not referring to them as Kauravas."
When asked if he had come to Delhi to meet the Congress leadership, Raut replied, "I may meet, but all these meetings are invisible."
To a query on why Maharashtra Governor B S Koshyari has to remind the state government to hold the Assembly Speaker's election, Raut quipped, "I wonder why Governor Koshyari forgets to sign the appointments of 12 members to the state Legislative Council (under the governor's quota)."
The MVA government and the governor have been at loggerheads over the appointment of members of the Legislative Council (MLCs), with the former accusing Koshyari of purposely sitting on the file cleared by the state Cabinet in November last year.
In a letter dated June 24 this year, Koshyari asked CM Thackeray to extend the duration of the upcoming monsoon session of the state legislature and fill the post of the Assembly Speaker urgently, citing demands raised by a BJP delegation.
In February this year, the then Speaker Nana Patole quit after he was appointed as the president of the Maharashtra Congress unit.
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Marxism will remain relevant despite Left electoral's losses, says general secretary M A Baby
New Delhi (PTI): CPI(M) General Secretary M A Baby on Thursday asserted that the Left movement would remain relevant despite not being in power in any state, saying the ideology would continue to endure as long as social and economic inequalities persist.
Hitting back at BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar over his reported remarks that Marxism had become irrelevant, Baby, in an interview with PTI Videos, said, "So long as there is division in society, so long as there is exploitation of the majority of workers, peasants and ordinary masses by a handful of billionaires, Marxism will remain relevant."
"That perhaps Mr Rajeev Chandrasekhar may not be able to understand, but this is the fact of the matter," he said.
Baby acknowledged that the CPI(M)-led Left was currently without an elected government in any state, but maintained that electoral setbacks would not diminish the movement's role.
"We may not have an elected government in any state. There were occasions when we didn't have a government. But the red flag and the commitment to organise and struggle for the rights of the dispossessed, marginalised and exploited will always be upheld by CPI(M) and the Left movement," he said.
He said the Left continued to enjoy support among workers, peasants, agricultural labourers, youth, students and women, and argued that the movement remained necessary because "oppression and assault" continued in society.
"So long as such problems exist in society, the red flag and the working class movement will continue to work among the masses," the Left leader said.
Exuding confidence on the Left's revival, Baby said the party would reflect on the reasons behind its electoral loss.
"We may be rejected in one election, but we will stage our comeback by understanding what went wrong with us," he said, adding, "We will listen to people and we will come back with higher strength."
Baby also criticised the Congress over reported factional tensions in Kerala after the Congress-led United Democratic Front's victory in the state.
"The way they are behaving is being watched by the people of Kerala," he said, referring to infighting within the Congress.
"Those who have given a massive majority to Congress and UDF would be watching all this," he added, while urging party leaders to "settle the problem in an amicable, democratic manner".
Referring to West Bengal, Baby alleged that violence had escalated following the BJP's victory in the state assembly polls.
"It is quite unfortunate that the moment BJP snatched a massive victory in West Bengal, violence has also started on a big scale," he said.
He also accused the Trinamool Congress of being "notorious for violent activities" and alleged that the "RSS-controlled BJP" had "unleashed violence in many places" after the election results.
"This is not good for Bengal, not good for the country. We wish and hope that normalcy would be restored as soon as possible," he said.
Baby said the CPI(M) and the Left in West Bengal would continue efforts to "pacify people" and avoid violence and confrontation.
Asked about former Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan not reacting publicly to the election results, Baby said Vijayan would respond "at an appropriate time".
