"Slap For Their Masters In Delhi": Congress After Devendra Fadnavis Quits

Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar should apologise to the people of Maharashtra as their government was "based on lies and fell like a house of cards", the Congress said on Tuesday minutes after the Maharashtra chief minister announced his resignation, conceding that he does not have a majority in the assembly.

The move was "not only a failure of Devendra Fadnavis but also a slap on faces of their masters sitting in Delhi", the party said.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said the lack of majority of those "who kidnapped the people's mandate" has been exposed.

"Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar should apologise to the people of Maharashtra. Their government was based on lies and defections and fell like a house of cards," he said.

Senior party leader KC Venugopal said, "This is a victory of constitutional democracy. They thought through horse-trading they can make government. This is not only a failure of Devendra Fadnavis but also a slap on faces of their masters sitting in Delhi."

He also announced that the Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP will hold a meeting to elect the joint legislative party. "I think Uddhav ji will be elected," he said.

Three days after he was sworn in, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced his resignation, saying the BJP no longer has majority after his deputy, NCP's Ajit Pawar, quit citing "personal reasons".

Ajit Pawar, who only last week crossed over to the BJP camp and was sworn in along with Mr Fadnavis in the early hours of Saturday morning, resigned earlier in the day.

Mr Fadnavis made the announcement a day ahead of the floor test his government was supposed to face on Wednesday as per the Supreme Court's directions.