Shinde is isolated in Mahayuti, he should walk out of govt instead of facing humiliation: Sapkal

Mumbai, Nov 19 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Wednesday claimed Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, has become isolated within the Mahayuti, and urged him to walk out of the government instead of facing humiliation for the sake of power.

Sapkal said a potential split in the ruling Shiv Sena has started troubling Shinde.

The Congress leader's remarks came a day after all Shiv Sena ministers, except Shinde, skipped the meeting of the Devendra Fadnavis-led state cabinet over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) inducting their party leaders and workers in parts of the state.

A meeting between Fadnavis and Sena ministers led by Shinde later on Tuesday brought a truce. Talking to reporters, Shinde said it was decided that the Mahayuti allies should refrain from inducting each other’s leaders.

Referring to it, Sapkal said, "It is out of the very fear of a split in the Shiv Sena that the drama of the ministers' displeasure and skipping the cabinet unfolded. This Mahayuti was formed not on the basis of any ideology, development or trust, but solely for power." Sapkal was speaking to reporters in Buldhana after campaigning for party candidates for the December 2 local body polls.

"Instead of accepting humiliation for the sake of power, Eknath Shinde should walk out of the government," he said.

"If Shinde truly wants to register his protest or is genuinely upset, and if nothing concrete is happening, then he should step down from power. But since he cannot live without power, he will have to silently endure whatever harassment he is subjected to," Sapkal alleged.

Shinde rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June 2022 and got support of a majority of party MLAs, which led to a split in the Shiv Sena.

Speaking on the Pune land scam issue involving Deputy CM Ajit Pawar's son Parth, Sapkal alleged that Pawar went to Delhi and pleaded before Union Home Minister Amit Shah to save him.

"It appears he succeeded in negotiating a settlement in Delhi, and Parth Pawar seems to have received a clean chit. It also seems that Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar have reached some form of an understanding.

"If that weren't the case, action would not have been taken against only a few officers and the person with merely 1 per cent stake (in the firm), while sparing Parth Pawar, who holds 99 percent stake. Despite accusing Ajit Pawar of being involved in a Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam, the BJP still inducted him into the government," the Congress leader claimed.

The private firm linked to Parth Pawar is at the centre of a now scrapped Rs 300-crore deal pertaining to a government plot in Pune's Mundhwa area. PTI MR NP