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Samajwadi Party to quit MVA after Uddhav aide’s remark on Babri Masjid demolition

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Samajwadi Party to quit MVA after Uddhav aide’s remark on Babri Masjid demolition

The Samajwadi Party has two MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly.

Mumbai:

Dealing a major blow to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and the opposition in Maharashtra, the Samajwadi Party decided to quit the alliance after a controversial remark by a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray on the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

On the 32nd anniversary of the demolition of the Babri Mosque, Milind Narvekar, a leader of the Shiv Sena (UBT), posted a photo of the mosque, along with a quote from Shiv Sena patriarch Balasaheb Thackeray, who said: “I am proud of those who did this. “

Mr. Narvekar’s post also featured images of Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and himself.

The Samajwadi Party has two MLAs in the Maharashtra Assembly. After MVA parties skipped the oath-taking ceremony today, Samajwadi Party state president Abu Asim Azmi and party chief Rais Shaikh defied the boycott call and took oath .

“An advertisement was published by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper congratulating those who demolished the Babri Mosque. His aide (Uddhav Thackeray) also posted on X welcoming the demolition of the mosque,” Mr Azmi said , quoted by the PTI news agency. . “We are leaving the MVA. I am talking to (Samajwadi Party president) Akhilesh Singh Yadav. If anyone in the MVA speaks such language, what is the difference between the BJP and them? Why should we stay with them ?”

Apart from the Samajwadi Party’s two victories in the Maharashtra elections, the Congress contested 103 seats but won only 16. The Shiv Sena (UBT), which fielded candidates in 89 constituencies, won 20 seats, while the NCP, led by Sharad Pawar, contested 87 seats and won in just 10.

“Milind Narvekar, who belongs to Uddhav Thackeray’s party, posted a tweet and we only replied to him. The MVA was formed on two key principles: protection of the Constitution and respect for secular values. Shiv Sena received votes in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabha on behalf of the MVA, with the support of people of all religions and secular-minded individuals,” said Samajwadi leader Rais Shaikh.

The Mahayuti alliance, comprising the BJP, Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena faction and Ajit Pawar’s NCP faction, won 230 of the 288 seats. This was followed by the swearing-in of Devendra Fadnavis as chief minister, while Mr. Shinde and Mr. Pawar were sworn in as deputy chief ministers on December 5.

“Shiv Sena should think about it. A minimum understanding has been made to sideline radical Hindu ideologies, but if such a radical stance is taken, parties like the Samajwadi Party and others will have to reconsider their position. This is our point of view. We want Uddhav’s Shiv Sena to address this issue and clarify why such sentiments are being expressed,” Mr Shaikh added.

Newly elected MLAs of the MVA alliance today staged a walkout during the oath-taking ceremony of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, alleging that the victory of the ruling Mahayuti coalition was engineered through manipulation of electronic voting machines (EVM).

MVA leaders gathered near the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the Maharashtra Assembly to explain their stand.

“We have boycotted the oath-taking ceremony today as democracy is being murdered through the use of EVMs. This (Maharashtra Assembly election results) is not the public’s mandate, it is the mandate of the EVM and the Election Commission of India,” Aditya Thackeray said.

Other senior opposition leaders, including Nana Patole of the Congress and Jitendra Awhad of the NCP, echoed their concerns over what they called the ruling alliance’s “undemocratic attitude” and reiterated their demands for elections to be conducted on ballots rather than EVMs.