In a recent development, Union Minister of Transport Nitin Gadkari criticized Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s suggestion to break from the ranks of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and join the opposition. While Mr Gadkari is known for his broad support base across the political class, the latter just smiled and said there is no reason he should worry about BJP leaders.
As per PTI reporting, BJP chief Gadkari dismissed the proposition by Thackeray as “immature and ridiculous”. He accentuated that the BJP has an established candidate selection and ticket distribution system. The revered Nagpur MP’s response countered Thackeray’s comments from a Yavatmal rally in Maharashtra, where he raised a question regarding Gadkari’s absence of his name among the initial candidates, even though Singh, who had defected from the Congress and was facing corruption allegations from the saffron party in his past.
The dialogue between Gadkari and Thackeray continued when the latter asked the former to quit the BJP and join MVA, offering him the post of a minister with sufficient powers in their coming to power. Thackeray then attacked Gadkari, similarly challenging him to resign, showing “Maharashtra’s courage.”
Though Gadkari clarified that negotiations about the allotment of tickets for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections in Maharashtra were in progress, it implies that the issue was not yet settled.
Addressing Thackeray’s offer, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis and BJP leaders said
it was like a common man on the street appointing someone as the President of the United States. Fadnavis clarified that the initial list of candidates finalized by the BJP did not contain any names from Maharashtra, as discussions were underway concerning seat-sharing among allies.
The BJP unquestionably caused a stir earlier this month as it released its initial list of candidates, which featured 195 party members in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The list had the names of 34 Union ministers, starting with class-I figures Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, and Smriti Irani. Also, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has chosen to contest from the Varanasi constituency in the state of Uttar Pradesh in India.
