Shiv Sena refuses to support Congress resolution

When city Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam levelled charges against the wife of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, saying she was a business partner of the wife of a Sena minister, and together they bought land parcels worth Rs 900 crore, his party senior Prithviraj Chavan was convincing senior Sena leaders why they should support a resolution of the Congress in favour of united Maharashtra in the state legislature. Some Congress leaders felt that the ill timed press conference by Nirupam, where he made the allegations was one of the reasons that irked the Sena, which refused to support the suggestion on Tuesday.

Group leader Eknath Shinde said the Sena was satisfied with CM Devendra Fadnavis' reply. "The CM said that no proposal to split the state was before him. He also said that he was speaking in the house as head of unified Maharashtra. And let me tell you that the Sena will not shy from quitting the government if this issue demands so," said Shinde.

If placed for voting, the resolution for united Maharashtra would have a majority in the house favouring it. The defeat would have embarrassed the BJP government, said a Congress leader.

Nirupam had alleged that Thackeray's wife Rashmi, and Sena minister Ravindra Waikar's wife Manisha's companies had acquired land in Konkan, worth Rs 900-cr at market rates.

He said that the Thackerays protected Waikar in corruption charges, because of their joint business interests. He alleged that a company called Vijaylaxmi Infra had Rashmi's uncle Dilip Shringarpure and Waikar as partners. He said it was doing a slum redevelopment project in Jogeshwari in violation of heritage rules.

The Sena had not responded to Nirupam's charges till yesterday evening,

A Congress MLA said that Tuesday's development also showed cracks in the Congress. "It seems there is no coordination in the Congress," he said.