LUCKNOW: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Sanjay Singh on Thursday criticised the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the formation of the Maharashtra Cabinet, accusing it of breaking parties to establish its government in the state.
“Eknath Shinde stayed with the BJP, yet he was sidelined. The BJP has achieved its objective–they broke the parties and then formed their own government,” the AAP leader remarked.
Devendra Fadnavis returned as chief minister of Maharashtra on Thursday, leading the BJP-led Mahayuti government. The oath-taking ceremony was held at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, where Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar were sworn in as Deputy Chief Ministers.
Governor CP Radhakrishnan administered the oath to Fadnavis, Shinde, and Pawar at the event, attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and several prominent leaders.
Singh also criticised Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his comments comparing rioters in Sambhal to those targeting minorities in Bangladesh.
“What is the purpose of such statements? They don’t discuss issues like crop prices, livelihoods, rising electricity costs, or the closure of 50,000 schools in Uttar Pradesh,” Singh stated.
Adityanath, speaking at the Ramayan Mela’s opening ceremony at Ayodhya’s Ram Katha Park, had drawn parallels between historical and contemporary events. “What Babur’s men did during Ayodhya Kumbh 500 years ago is similar to what happened in Sambhal and is still happening in Bangladesh. The nature of these elements and their DNA is the same. If this is happening in Bangladesh, similar forces here are ready to disrupt social harmony,” he said.
The Maharashtra Assembly Election 2024 was a resounding victory for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, which secured a landslide win with 235 seats. The BJP emerged as the single-largest party, winning 132 seats. The Shiv Sena and the NCP gained 57 and 41 seats, respectively.
In contrast, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) suffered a significant defeat. Congress won only 16 seats, while its alliance partners Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar faction of the NCP managed 20 and 10 seats, respectively.
