No proposal to include VBA in opposition coalition: Pawar

Days after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced an electoral alliance with VBA, Ambedkar accused NCP chief Sharad Pawar of being hand-in-glove with the BJP.

Mumbai: Amidst Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar’s remarks against NCP chief Sharad Pawar, which created a furore in the opposition, both NCP and Congress on Saturday said they have no proposal to include VBA in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi.

Pawar told the media on Saturday that there is no proposal before his party for an alliance with the VBA. “As far as I know, three parties, Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP want to go together as a coalition in the coming elections. I don’t know about any other party. There is no such proposal before us,” he said. (HT PHOTO)

Days after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray announced an electoral alliance with VBA, Ambedkar accused Pawar of being hand-in-glove with the BJP. This kicked up a row since Thackeray has been insisting on the inclusion of Ambedkar-led outfit in the opposition coalition to attract votes of socially backward sections. Ambedkar’s remarks, however, seem to have put a spanner in the wheel now with both NCP and Congress distancing themselves from him.

Pawar told the media on Saturday that there is no proposal before his party for an alliance with the VBA. “As far as I know, three parties, Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, Congress and NCP want to go together as a coalition in the coming elections. I don’t know about any other party. There is no such proposal before us,” he said.

Following Pawar, state Congress president Nana Patole too made it clear that Congress was not discussing the possibility of getting Ambedkar onboard the MVA. “We have nothing to do with the alliance between Shiv Sena and VBA. Our best wishes are with Shiv Sena (for a tie-up with VBA). We have no proposal in front of us to join hands with VBA,” he said.

According to leaders from Congress and NCP, the two parties were initially considering including Ambedkar-led outfit in the opposition coalition following a request by Thackeray. However, the parties do not trust Ambedkar. “Most leaders from both parties believe that Ambedkar does the bidding for the BJP. In the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in 2019, Ambedkar fielded candidates in such a way that our candidates would lose. The BJP benefited due to his strategies. Even now, he is not clear about his intentions. We are not keen on an alliance with him. Realising it, he started criticising our party chief,” said a senior NCP leader. “Since Thackeray thinks he (Ambedkar) could help the Shiv Sena (UBT) get some more seats in Mumbai civic polls, we have suggested that he can go ahead with the alliance with Ambedkar at his level. His outfit won’t be part of the MVA, at least as of now.”

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut seconded Pawar, saying there is no proposal to make Ambedkar-led VBA a part of the opposition coalition.