Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday dismissed allegations that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is trying to topple the Maharashtra government as “scurrilous”.
Accusing the Congress of running away from taking responsibility for the Covid-19 situation in Maharashtra, which tops the list of states with the maximum number of infections and deaths, Prasad said the allies in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government need to put their house in order.
“They (the state government) need to take firm steps to control the situation in Maharashtra. Mumbai has become a hot spot in the world,” Prasad told journalists during an online news briefing.
The Congress-NCP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra has accused the BJP of trying to topple it, even as BJP leaders pushed for the state to be brought under President’s Rule.
Reacting to the MVA’s allegation and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s comments that his party only supports the government and is not a key player, Prasad said, “Maybe things are not under the control of the chief minister and there are issues within the coalition in the state.”
A war of words has erupted between the state government and the railway ministry on requisitioning trains for migrant workers, and Prasad defended his Cabinet colleague, railway minister Piyush Goyal. He said Goyal has offered trains, but the buck stops with the Uddhav Thackeray government.
Maharashtra is staring at political upheaval even as it grapples to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
{{/usCountry}}Maharashtra is staring at political upheaval even as it grapples to contain the spread of the Coronavirus.
{{/usCountry}}On Tuesday, former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state government will fall on its own because of internal differences between allies. Senior BJP MP Narayan Rane met Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and demanded President’s Rule in the state.