"They Doubt Their MLAs": Devendra Fadnavis' Swipe On Coalition's 1st Meet

Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today took a swipe at the new Shiv Sena-Congress-NCP coalition in Maharashtra over not focussing on relief for farmers hit by unseasonal rain.

Mr Fadnavis, who resigned on Tuesday after it became clear the BJP didn't have the number to form government, said the first cabinet meeting of the new government discussed how to keep their new flock intact, instead of looking at policy matters.

"In the first Cabinet Meeting of new government, yesterday, they chose to discuss how to prove majority secretly, instead of discussing on how assistance and relief can be given to farmers suffering from unseasonal rains. If this government has majority, then why are they secretly calling the house?" the former chief minister tweeted.

"Why efforts to change the Pro-tem Speaker, going against the rules? Why still doubt your own MLAs so much? Why are they still hiding them?" Mr Fadnavis said in multiple tweets.

In the first Cabinet Meeting of new government, yesterday, they chose to discuss how to prove majority secretly, instead of discussing on how assistance & relief can be given to farmers suffering from unseasonal rains.
If this government has majority...

— Devendra Fadnavis (@Dev_Fadnavis) November 29, 2019

"When BJP has already announced to sit in the opposition and Maha Vikas Aaghadi has made so many claims that they have full majority, that too exhibiting in different ways, why this secrecy and fear? Maharashtra wants these answers," Mr Fadnavis said.

The coalition of the Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena and its ideological opposite Congress has 165 MLAs in the 288-member assembly; the majority mark is 145.

After the Shiv Sena fell out with the BJP over a disagreement on sharing chief ministership on a "50:50" formula, the Congress, NCP and Uddhav Thackeray's party herded their MLAs in separate hotels to protect them from being poached.

Mr Fadnavis had said the BJP moved swiftly to try to form government in Maharashtra to help farmers. However, the other main parties rejected that angle. They alleged the BJP used methods that may harm democratic processes in trying to forcefully install its government, supported by the NCP's Ajit Pawar, who eventually resigned as Deputy Chief Minister in a matter of a few days since taking oath.