Mumbai: Mumbai: After the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress shook up the INDIA alliance by ruling out a tie-up with Congress in West Bengal, Maharashtra’s Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) has also flexed its muscles.
The Prakash Ambedkar-led party Thursday refused to accept an invitation for seat-sharing talks from the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which is part of the INDIA alliance, as it was not signed by the heads of the three parties — the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), the Sharad Pawar-led National Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress.
The MVA had Thursday written to Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of Dr B.R. Ambedkar, inviting him for seat-sharing talks. The letter was reportedly signed by Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole, Jayant Patil from the Sharad Pawar-led NCP, and Sanjay Raut from the Shiv Sena (UBT).
Parkash Ambedkar Thursday responded in a harshly-worded letter, addressed to Patole, saying he had heard the Congress had not given Patole any right to take decisions on alliances.
वंचित बहुजन आघाडीचे राष्ट्रीय अध्यक्ष @Prksh_Ambedkar यांनी नाना पटोले यांना दिलेले उत्तर. pic.twitter.com/uG7kFC1ADq
— Vanchit Bahujan Aaghadi (@VBAforIndia) January 25, 2024
“It seems you are either playing mind games with the people of Maharashtra or there is some ‘locha’ (damage) in your brain,” Ambedkar said in his letter.
He added if the MVA wanted to invite the VBA for alliance talks, then the heads of all three parties — Mallikarjun Kharge from the Congress, Sharad Pawar from NCP and Uddhav Thackeray from Shiv Sena (UBT) — have to be signatories to the invitation.
‘You have no authority in decision-making’
Ambedkar in his letter said he has learnt that both Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP corresponded directly with either Rahul Gandhi or Congress president Kharge for any alliance talks with the Congress.
He said they don’t keep Patole in the loop because “you have no authority in decision making in both MVA and INDIA”.
“Send us an invitation with respect and signed by the respective parties namely Shiv Sena (UBT, NCP (Sharad Pawar) and Congress in the MVA. Or if VBA is called for the meeting by one of the following — Shri Ramesh Chennithala, Shri Rahul Gandhi, Smt Sonia Gandhi or Mallikarjun Kharge — we will attend the meeting with no hesitation,” Ambedkar said.
In Maharashtra, the Congress and VBA have been rivals as the latter had cut into the former’s traditional votes in several of the state’s constituencies in 2019.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) had formally tied up with Ambedkar’s VBA in January last year.
Also read: As Prakash Ambedkar seeks place in INDIA as equal partner in MVA, allies say ‘top leaders to decide’