After meeting Arvind Kejriwal, Aditya Thackeray said that governments come and go, but friendship remains.
In the Delhi elections, Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party lost and was thrown out of power. It is being said in political circles that AAP was thrown out of power because of Congress. AAP candidates could not win on about 13 seats because of Congress. If these two parties of the India Alliance had fought the elections together, the result would have been different. Since then, questions are being raised about the unity and future of the India Alliance.
Amidst all this, Aditya Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena (UBT), another constituent of the India Alliance, has met AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in Delhi.
Meeting with Arvind Kejriwal
After meeting Kejriwal, he said that governments come and go, but relationships remain intact. We met Kejriwal as friends. However, our democracy is not free and fair. Elections are not free and fair.
Thackeray was accompanied by senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Sanjay Raut and Priyanka Chaturvedi, among others. They discussed the recent assembly elections in Delhi and the future of the opposition 'INDIA' (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) alliance.
The BJP came to power by winning 48 out of 70 assembly seats in Delhi in the elections held on February 5, while the AAP won 22 seats.
Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and AAP are constituents of 'India' which was formed ahead of last year's Lok Sabha elections.
Thackeray also accused the Election Commission (EC) of large-scale manipulation of voter lists in several states, including Maharashtra, Haryana, Odisha and Delhi. "The Election Commission has taken away the right to vote from the people. It is not even ready to discuss the issue," he said. He said the opposition will formally raise the matter. Thackeray stressed that free and fair elections are "necessary for the country."
Meeting with Rahul Gandhi
It is worth noting that after NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar felicitated Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, there has been a ruckus in the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), an alliance of opposition parties in Maharashtra. In this background, Aditya Thackeray met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.
It is being said that both the leaders also discussed the allegations against the Election Commission in conducting the elections.
There has been turmoil in the MVA, an alliance of opposition parties in Maharashtra, after Sharad Pawar honoured Shinde with the 'Mahadji Shinde Rashtra Gaurav Award'. The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena has termed Shinde a "traitor" and is surprised at his being honoured with the award instituted by Sharad Pawar's Pune-based NGO 'Sarhad'.
Aditya Thackeray said, "Those who are anti-Maharashtra are anti-national. We cannot honour people who are involved in such dirty work. This is against our principles. I don't know about his (Sharad Pawar's) principles."
In last year's assembly elections in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti won 235 seats in the 288-member House, while the MVA alliance of opposition parties won 50 seats.
