Mumbai: The chief of the Maharashtra unit of the Samajwadi Party Abu Asim Azmi on Saturday announced his party’s withdrawal from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance in the state over a post by a close aide of ally Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray’s and a related newspaper advertisment hailing the demolition of Babri Masjid in 1992.
The move by the Samajwadi Party(SP), which has two members in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, is seen as another sign of the growing discontent among regional parties within the opposition INDIA bloc of which the Congress is a leading constituent.
Hours after Azmi’s announcement to pull out of the MVA alliance, another SP leader Fakhrul Hasan Chaand appeared to distance the party’s national leadership from the remarks of the chief of its Maharashtra unit. Chaand said the SP’s national leadership will take a decision on continuance of the SP in the MVA.
While the impact of the SP’s exit is expected to be minimal for the MVA, which was routed in the recent assembly elections securing only 50 out of 288 seats at stake, the NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar sought to play down Azmi’s announcement, saying the SP’s central leadership is firm on opposition unity.
The main constituents of the MVA are the Congress, the Shiv Sena faction headed by former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP(SP).
Political analysts feel that while the SP’s exit is unlikely to harm the MVA directly due to its limited presence in the state, it could be a strategic move ahead of upcoming civic body elections.
The announcement of the SP withdrawal was made by Azmi, who is also an MLA, after a local newspaper published an advertisement congratulating those involved in the Babri Masjid demolition on a disputed site in Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh on December 6, 1992.
Additionally, a post by a close aide of Uddhav Thackeray, MLC Milind Narvekar, celebrated the act further aggravating tensions between the SP and the MVA partners. Narvekar also posted a photo of the demolition of the mosque accompanied by Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s quote “I am proud of those who did this”.
“An advertisement was given by Shiv Sena (UBT) in a newspaper congratulating those who demolished Babri masjid. His (Uddhav Thackeray) aide has also posted on X hailing the demolition of the mosque,” Azmi said.
“We are quitting the MVA. I am speaking to (Samajwadi Party president) Akhilesh Yadav,” Azmi told PTI.
Expressing his displeasure, Azmi said, “If anyone in the MVA speaks such language, what is the difference between the BJP and them? Why should we stay with them?”
He criticised the reopening of old wounds, emphasising that no one has been held accountable for the mosque’s demolition.
“The Congress has to decide whether it can ally with someone who speaks like this”.
SP leader Chaand later said that SP’s national leadership will decide on his party’s alliance with others.
“Abu Asim Azmi is a senior leader of Samajwadi Party in Maharashtra, but it is upon the national leadership to decide about party’s alliance with others. Abu Asim Azmi has said something, but the national leadership of the party will decide about it,” Chaand told PTI Videos.
Chhand further said the INDIA bloc should remain united to take on the BJP.
Azmi also said there was no coordination with parties like the SP during the Maharashtra assembly polls. The SP had contested eight seats and won two and had a friendly contest on six.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Bhaskar Jadhav responded to Azmi’s criticism, questioning the SP’s realisation of Shiv Sena’s stance after 32 years.
He also accused the SP of leaning toward the ruling BJP-led Mahayuti coalition.
In response to the SP’s exit, senior Congress leader Nitin Raut said, “We will discuss with the Samajwadi Party about its decision and understand what the problem is.”
The move by the SP highlights the broader tensions within the national INDIA bloc, which has been witnessing increasing dissatisfaction from various regional parties in the country.
This also follows recent comments from West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who has expressed her intent to take a more prominent role within the alliance amid the recent electoral setbacks for the Congress in several states including Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and now Maharashtra.
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