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Opposition must come together, strengthen UPA, says Sena’s Raut
The Sena parliamentarian is expected to leave for New Delhi during the weekend where the discussions on the new political dynamics could take place
Amid the buzz that Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar could become the chairperson or convenor of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), Shiv Sena on Friday suggested formation of a new front of all Opposition parties, like Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi in the state. Sena leader and chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut also rooted for Pawar to head the UPA or be its convenor to get more Opposition parties on board.
The Shiv Sena, after snapping ties with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), quit the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) but has not formally joined UPA yet.
“Considering the current political situation, the country’s Opposition must come together and take some decisions. Congress is a huge party, but it is also a fact that they could not get the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha. In this scenario, we all must come together and strengthen the UPA. Can there be a front like there is Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi in Maharashtra, and who can lead it? All this can be discussed,” Raut told reporters in Mumbai.
The Sena parliamentarian is expected to leave for New Delhi during the weekend where the discussions on the new political dynamics could take place.
Pawar, meanwhile, had denied that there is a proposal to make him the UPA chairperson, the position currently held by Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
Raut said that Pawar is a “tall” leader of the country. In the past few weeks, the Sena chief spokesperson has also said that the Maratha strongman has the capabilities to unite the scattered Opposition parties in the country against the BJP.
“If Pawar saheb becomes the UPA chairperson, we will be happy. However, we are not seeing any such development happening. Yesterday, Pawar saheb has denied this as well. Sharad Pawar is a tall leader of the country and Maharashtra. We are all working under his guidance, but so far there is no formal proposal to elect him as the UPA chairperson. If there is such a proposal, we will support it,” he added.
Meanwhile, Congress leader and former MP Sanjay Nirupam called the political development to “wipe out” the Congress party. “The campaign against Rahul Gandhi from Delhi to Mumbai is a part of the campaign to make Sharad Pawar the UPA’s chairman. The 23-signature-letter was written under the same campaign. The ‘lack of consistency’ of Rahulji’s leadership was a part of the same campaign. This is a big plan to wipe out the Congress,” Nirupam tweeted.
Nirupam was referring to the letter written by 23 Congress leaders seeking sweeping changing in the party even as ‘lack of consistency’ referred to a comment made by Pawar about Rahul Gandhi during an interview last week.
