Amid Maharashtra political crisis, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik bats for re-establishing ties with BJP
Last year, Sarnaik, in his letter to the CM, stated that while the BJP and the Shiv Sena are no longer allies, however, their leaders have good relations, which the Sena should take advantage of.
FollowShiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik said, on Wednesday, that the party should re-establish its ties with Bharatiya Janata Party as the Uddhav Thackeray-led Maharashtra government faces a crisis following a rebellion led by Sena MLA Eknath Shinde.
Sarnaik, the MLA from Thane's Ovala-Majiwada constituency, is being investigated by the Enforcement Directorate in connection with a money laundering case. He had written a letter to Chief Minister and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray last year, urging the party to join forces with the BJP to protect its leaders from action by central agencies.
"I first mooted the idea that the Shiv Sena should go with the BJP," Sarnaik told reporters on Wednesday.
Sarnaik stated in his letter to the CM last year that while the BJP and the Shiv Sena are no longer allies, their leaders have good relations, which the Sena should take advantage of.
Notably, the ED recently attached Sarnaik's assets worth over 11 crores in the money laundering case involving the National Spot Exchange Limited (NSEL). Several politicians and ministers from the state's Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, including the Shiv Sena, NCP, and Congress, have recently faced ED action.
A group of 40 Maharashtra MLAs arrived in Guwahati on Wednesday morning, led by dissident leader Eknath Shinde. They were taken to a luxury hotel on the city's outskirts amid tight security.
Previously, the MLAs were shifted from Mumbai to Surat in Gujarat on Tuesday, and the decision to relocate them to Guwahati in Assam was made on security grounds, according to a BJP source.
Meanwhile, an official said Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari was admitted to a private hospital in south Mumbai on Wednesday after testing positive for the Coronavirus.
According to the official, Koshyari (80), who was always seen wearing face masks at public events, has been admitted to the Reliance Foundation Hospital.
Also Read: Maha Aghadi Mutiny: Rebel Shiv Sena MLAs flown to Guwahati
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