The Shiv Sena on Saturday slammed senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar for his statement that Maharashtra may head for President's rule if new government is not put in place by November 7 and sarcastically questionned the senior ally whether the President's seal was lying at its office in the state.
The Sena, which is locked in a bitter battle with the BJP over sharing of power since the results of the assembly elections were declared on October 24, also dared its senior ally to stake claim to form the next government.
The tenure of the current Legislative Assembly ends on November 8.
Terming the the Sena's demand for chief minister's post on a rotational basis with the BJP as the "main hurdle" in government formation, Mungantiwar had said, "A new government will have to be in place within the stipulated time, or else the President will have to intervene. President's rule will be imposed if the government formation doesn't happen in the given time."
"What the common people have to make out of the threat given by Mungantiwar? Is that supposed to mean that President of India is in our (BJP's) pocket or that the seal of the President is lying in the office of the BJP in Maharashtra?
The Marathi editorial titled "Insult to Maharashtra, Is President in your pocket?" described Mungantiwar's comments "undemocratic and unconstitutional."
Interestingly, Sharad Pawar-led NCP too on Friday criticised Mungantiwar's statement as a "kind of threat."
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