In a blow to the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance in Maharashtra, which is facing defeat in the recent assembly elections, the Samajwadi Party (SP) on Saturday announced that it will quit the MVA after the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief. Uddhav Thackeray’s close aide and MLC Milind Narvekar posted an image on X praising the Babri Masjid demolition.
In an interview with The Indian ExpressMaharashtra SP chief Abu Azmi speaks on the future of MVA and explains his party’s reasons for the move among other things. Excerpts:
* Why did you break your relationship with Mahavikas Aghadi?
It is useless to be part of an alliance when one party insults the religious sentiments of others by congratulating those involved in the demolition of the Babri Masjid. We had to take a decision as they (Shiv Sena (UBT)) took a Hindutva stand.
* Congress and NCP are also part of MVA. Does this step of SP have any effect on their future steps?
I cannot comment on whether Congress and CPN will follow us and leave the alliance. However, these two parties have often portrayed themselves as secular… Why should voters trust them (Congress and NCP) if they are aligning with the Shiv Sena (UBT) which openly praised the Babri Masjid demolitions?
* Since it joined the MVA, there was a perception that the Army (UBT) had toned down its Hindutva stance. What is your opinion?
After a poor performance in the (now Maharashtra) assembly elections, Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders realized that calling themselves a secular party would not help them. BJP and Shinde Sena have lost votes. So they have returned to their Hindutva ideology.
*Did you expect Narvekar’s post about the Babri Masjid demolition?
They (Sena UBT) must have decided to post because of the upcoming BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipality) elections.
* Army has not shied away from its role in demolishing Babri Masjid. Why did you shake hands with them in the first place?
They (Uddhav Sena) apologized publicly. They said they were with the wrong people (a reference to the BJP) and made a mistake by staying with them for 30 years, and they would not repeat it. They also started calling themselves a secular party.
The saying ‘subah ka bhula agar sham ko ghar aae’ applies here.
* Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray has said that the party has boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of MLAs due to protests over EVM irregularities. How do you see it?
We are fighting for the same issue. The developed countries that invented the system have abandoned it (EVM), so why are we using it?
*Why did you participate in Saturday’s swearing-in ceremony?
The people voted for me and elected their representative. I have to work for them, so I had to take an oath.
* What is the future of MVA?
MVA has no future if it doesn’t stay together. This time (in the assembly elections) there was very little coordination between the Maoist parties. They did not ask my opinion on seat allocation. SP won two seats in these assembly elections. However, if our coalition parties had supported us, we could have won more seats.