WEB DESK
Soon after the resignation of Devendra Fadnavis as Maharashtra chief minister, the Congress slammed both the ex-CM and his BJP party saying ‘this is not only a failure of Devendra Fadnavis but also a slap on the faces of their masters sitting in Delhi.”
The development came hours after the Supreme Court mandated a floor test in the legislative assembly and after Fadnavis’s deputy, Ajit Pawar of the NCP, quit.
“This is a victory of constitutional democracy. They thought that through horse trading, they can form the government,” said senior Congress leader KC Venugopal. “This is not only a failure of Devendra Fadnavis, but also a slap on the faces of their masters sitting in Delhi.”
The Congress said the “turn of events” in Maharashtra has also brought into question President Ram Nath Kovind’s role. Demanding Koshyari’s resignation, Congress spokesperson Manish Tewari said at a press conference, “The Maharashtra Governor should shed his RSS-BJP cloak and invite the ‘Maha Vikas Aghadi’ of the Sena-NCP-Congress to form the government. The turn of events has also put the role of the President under the scanner.”
Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala said the Fadnavis government was formed on lies and deception and crashed like a house of cards.
Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan said the party has requested the Maharashtra governor to accept Fadnavis’s resignation and invite the Sena-NCP-Congress alliance to form the government.
“We demand that Uddhav Thackeray be invited to form the government in Maharashtra immediately,” said Chavan. According to sources, the Congress is likely to ask for the Governor’s resignation and may even approach the President.
NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik described Fadnavis’s reaction as the “victory of the people of Maharashtra”. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said, “In the end, the truth always wins. Today, on the occasion of Constitution Day, democratic values have won and the people of Maharashtra have got justice. On Constitution Day, this incident has been recorded in history, the Constitution has won and the real face of BJP has been revealed.”