There have been no talks yet between RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on government formation in Maharashtra, Sena leader Sanjay Raut said on Thursday.
Talking to reporters ahead of the meeting of Shiv Sena MLAs with Thackeray, Raut said legislators of his party and the opposition Congress and NCP “would not cross sides”. “There have been no talks yet between Bhagwat and Thackeray,” the Rajya Sabha member said.
Asked if he represented views of his party amid the logjam over government formation in the state, Raut said, “I put forth views of Uddhav Thackeray.”
On reports of Shiv Sena shifting its MLAs to a resort, Raut said, “There is no need for us to do this, our MLAs are firm in their resolve and committed to the party. Those who are spreading such rumours should worry about their MLAs first.”
The BJP and the Shiv Sena are engaged in a bitter tug-of-war over the latter’s demand for equal distribution of portfolios and sharing the chief minister’s post.
The BJP has rejected the Sena’s demand for sharing the chief minister’s post for two-and-a-half years each. The tenure of the present Assembly ends on November 9. Sources from both the parties on Wednesday said back channel talks were on between the two old but often-feuding Hindutva allies and a breakthrough was expected.
