Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut. (File)Days after getting a cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi-led NDA government, the Shiv Sena on Thursday staked its claim on the post of the Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha.
“We have said that the Sena has a natural claim on the post,” said Sena MP Sanjay Raut, asking why it was being offered to the BJD that fought the polls against the NDA. “Rather than giving the post to them, we have said that we have the natural claim on it. We have 18 capable Lok Sabha MPs and any of them can sit on that post,” Raut added.
Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray made it clear however, that the alliance is secure. “Our alliance is not just for 2-4 posts. We made the alliance for Hindutva. Expressing a desire does not mean being unhappy. Still, if we are asking anything with a right to our people, it should not be construed as our unhappiness,” he said.
Uddhav said the seat sharing formula for the upcoming Assembly elections in the state has been finalised. “We will go forward by taking all the small alliance partners along with us,” he said.
