One way to end the acrimony between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its coalition ally, the Shiv Sena, is to share the chief ministership between the two parties, Union Minister Ramdas Athawale said in Pune on Sunday.
“If the BJP and the Sena jointly contest the 2019 Assembly poll and win, then a candidate from the BJP can serve as Chief Minister for two-and-a-half years before relinquishing the post to a candidate from the Sena for the remainder of the term. This way, a compromise can be reached,” Mr. Athawale, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment, said.
In the wake of Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray’s announcement that his party would contest the polls alone, the The Republican Party of India (A) leader expressed hope that the bickering allies would bury the hatchet and fight the polls together instead.
The RPI (A) president reiterated his desire to contest the 2019 Parliamentary election from the Mumbai South Central constituency. This would require the Sena, which holds the seat, to vacate it for him in the event of a BJP-Sena alliance. “While the RPI (A) does not have much of a presence in the Lok Sabha constituencies, we are campaigning strongly and are confident of winning at least two seats,” he said.
Disparaging the Bahujan Vanchit Vikas Aghadi, the Dalit-Muslim alliance forged between the Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) led by Prakash Ambedkar and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), Mr. Atahwale said it would only benefit the BJP.
Commenting on the #MeToo movement, he said that those against whom allegations are being made must be investigated. “Whoever insults women must be severely punished. However, the investigative agencies must first collect all evidence. Then whoever is guilty, be it Nana Patekar or M.J. Akbar, must be called to account for their actions,” he said.
At the same time, he said, nobody ought to misuse the movement to deliberately malign any person.