Mumbai, April 6 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Monday launched a stinging critique of the Maharashtra Congress leadership, specifically targeting state president Harshvardhan Sapkal, regarding the “strategic blunders” of the past and the seat-sharing disputes for the Rajya Sabha and Legislative Council elections.

The Thackeray camp in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’ editorial, took a swipe at Sapkal’s ambition to take his party to the “peak”.

“We must congratulate Harshvardhan Sapkal for wanting to take his party to the summit. We should wish him well, as Rahul Gandhi has entrusted the leadership of Maharashtra to such a far-sighted leader. However, if his stance is that the party will only reach the summit by securing a single seat in the Legislative Council or Rajya Sabha, then the height of that ‘summit’ needs to be re-measured,” said the editorial.

The Thackeray camp claimed that Congress was responsible for the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, saying that the sudden resignation of the Assembly Speaker (Nana Patole) in early 2021 was the root cause of the current political chaos in Maharashtra. “If the Congress had not taken that hasty decision or made that mistake regarding the Speaker’s post, the MVA government would have remained in power for at least the next 15 years (until 2034),” it remarked.

The editorial argued that because the Speaker’s post was vacated without consultation, the Governor did not allow a fresh election for the post, leading to the eventual instability and downfall of the government. While the Congress won 13 seats in the Lok Sabha due to MVA coordination, they stretched the “elastic” too far during the Assembly elections. “The success in the Lok Sabha (30 out of 48 seats for MVA) was the fruit of dialogue and coordination. It showed that when regional parties are given importance, Congress also succeeds. However, emboldened by those 13 seats, Congress’ tendency to stretch matters to the breaking point during the Assembly elections caused some damage,” claimed the Thackeray camp.

According to the editorial, the Shiv Sena has 20 MLAs and is the largest party within the MVA. “Therefore, the Shiv Sena’s sacrifice is significant. If Sharad Pawar was given a Rajya Sabha seat, or if Pawar accepted Uddhav Thackeray’s word for the Legislative Council, why should a large national party like Congress feel ‘self-inflicted pain’ (Aatmaklesh)?” it asked.

Responding to Sapkal’s demand for “discussion”, the editorial mocked the internal confusion of Congress. “Sapkal says there should be a discussion. True, but there is constant confusion in Congress about who to discuss matters with. During the Rajya Sabha polls, the state leadership couldn’t decide; eventually, the High Command supported Sharad Pawar’s candidacy. Sapkal should ask his questions in Delhi, not here,” said the editorial.

The editorial sent a stern message regarding the national leadership of the INDIA bloc. ”Rahul Gandhi often says in his ‘India bloc’ speeches that all parties are equal. Regional parties act as loudspeakers for local issues and the ‘sons of the soil’. If Congress wants to lead at the national level, it must not look at the opportunities gained by regional parties with ‘greedy eyes’. Those who aspire to lead the centre must not treat regional parties as mere ‘supporting crutches’ but must give them respect as equal partners. This is the mantra of successful politics.”

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena urged Congress to show political maturity, reminding it that compromise and understanding are not signs of weakness. “If Congress shows this maturity, only then will regional parties across the country look at them with trust. What is the point of whimpering over a single Legislative Council or Rajya Sabha seat?” it asked.

–IANS

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