Shah says no promise on CM post; Sena asks why mum for so long

Union Home Minister AmitShah on Sunday said he did not promise Shiv Sena - then BJP'spartner - to share the chief minister's post if the allianceretained power in Maharashtra after the 2019 Assembly polls.

Shiv Sena, which ditched the BJP soon after the pollsto form the government with the NCP and Congress, shot back,wondering what took the senior BJP leader over a year to comeout with his version on the much-discussed topic in the statepolitics.

''I don't make promises in closed rooms. Whatever I do,I do it openly. I don't do politics in closed rooms,'' Shahsaid, after inaugurating a private medical college at Kankavliin Sindhudurg district.

He said the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government inMaharashtra comprising Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress is like anauto-rickshaw whose three wheels were pulling in differentdirections.

''This (MVA) is an unholy alliance and an outcome ofbetraying the people's mandate which was for a BJP-Shiv Senagovernment led by (BJP's) Devendra Fadnavis,'' Shah said,adding the MVA alliance is a result of the lust for power.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena parted ways withthe BJP after the 2019 Assembly polls in over the issue ofsharing the chief ministerial post with the BJP, and laterforged an alliance with the NCP and Congress to come to power.

Thackeray had claimed that Shah, who was then BJPpresident, had assured at his 'Matoshree' bungalow in Mumbaithat the CM's post would be shared by the two parties, and theBJP reneged on the promise.

It is being claimed that the BJP broke the promise,Shah said, adding his party honours the promises it makes.

''We don't speak white lies. We are the ones who honourcommitments. In Bihar, we had said that even if the BJP getsmore seats, Nitish Kumar will continue to be the CM,'' Shahsaid.

Slamming Thackeray, Shah said the Shiv Sena leaderaddressed poll rallies with him and Prime Minister NarendraModi before the Maharashtra Assembly elections.

In the poll posters of Shiv Sena candidates, Modi'spictures were bigger than Thackeray's, Shah said. ''We soughtvotes for the BJP-Sena alliance led by Fadnavis. Why didn'tyou speak out then? You just garnered votes in Modi's name,''Shah said.

Reacting to his remarks, Sena leader and former Unionminister Arvind Sawant said the fact that Shah took a year andhalf to claim that he had not made any promise (to Thackeray)on sharing chief ministers post raises suspicions.

''Uddhv Thackeray spoke about this (promise) on manyoccasions - even in the state legislature - but Shah hadremained silent. After the Assembly election results, Shahwent to Haryana for government formation talks but remainedsilent on Maharashtra's political developments,'' the Senaleader said.

The Thackeray family is known in Maharashtra forhonouring promises made, he said.