Mumbai, Maharashtra Public Works Minister and senior Congress leader Ashok Chavan on Thursday said his party’s support to the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) will continue and it will not be the hotel, but the Assembly, to decide whether Shiv Sena stalwart Eknath Shinde has revolted. The appropriate place is whether the government is in the majority or in the minority.
The two-and-a-half-year-old MVA government is in serious trouble due to the rebellion of cabinet minister Shinde. Shinde claims to have the support of 37 Shiv Sena MLAs. We had formed the MVA with Shiv Sena and NCP to stop the BJP (from coming to power), Chavan told reporters after a meeting of Congress leaders on the political situation in the state. Our support for the MVA continues.
The minister said whether the Shiv Sena-led government has come down to a minority or not, it cannot be decided in the hotel and the floor of the House is the proper forum for this. Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs are camping in Guwahati in the BJP-ruled state of Assam. When senior Congress leader Chavan was asked whether the MVA was ready for floor test in the Assembly, he said any decision in this regard was to be taken by the three constituents of the ruling coalition together. Earlier, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut had indicated that his party may consider walking out of the MVA if the rebel MLAs return to Mumbai and hold talks with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
