Samajwadi Party will pick who to support in RS polls in Maharashtra after CM replies to my letter: Abu Azmi
India Today
Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi said on Sunday that his party will decide whether to back Shiv Sena's candidate in the upcoming Rajya Sabha polls in Maharashtra after CM Uddhav Thackeray responds to his letter regarding fulfilment of demands of minorities.
Ahead of the Rajya Sabha polls scheduled for June 10, Samajwadi Party’s Maharashtra chief Abu Azmi said his party would choose which way to swing in the election after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray replies to his letter and clears the state government’s position on whether it is secular or not.
On Saturday, Abu Azmi had written a letter to CM Uddhav Thackeray accusing him of neglecting the demands of minority communities.
Speaking exclusively to India Today, Abu Azmi said, “Uddhav Thackeray needs to satisfy me by replying to my letter. I need answers from him. He’s talking about a new Hindutva these days and I want to know whether the Maha Vikas Aghadi government is still secular or not.”
He said that Uddhav Thackeray talking about the demolition of Babri Masjid and related issues does not match “the thought process of MVA”. “I’ve said that he shouldn’t be talking about the past and scratching our old wounds. Hence, I need answers after two and half years,” Azmi said.
Abu Azmi added that the Samajwadi Party had joined the MVA because Shiv Sena had agreed to a common minimum programme and said it would respect all religions. “The promises that were made for our community aren’t being fulfilled,” he said.
In the Rajya Sabha polls on June 10, the Shiv Sena and BJP are set to battle it out for the sixth seat from Maharashtra as none of the seven candidates in the fray - four of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) and three of BJP -- have withdrawn their nomination. The fight for the sixth seat is between BJP's Dhananjay Mahadik and Shiv Sena's Sanjay Pawar.
The 288-member Legislative Assembly is the electoral college for the Rajya Sabha election. Hence, the support of the Samajwadi Party is crucial for the MVA government.
