MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) President Raj Thackeray on Monday threatened the new legislators of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly that they face the ire of the MNS if they dared to take the oath of office in any other language than Marathi.
Raj issued the threat at the meeting in which Bala Nandgaonkar was picked as MNS leader in the Assembly. He said: "All new legislators should take their oath in Marathi language. If this is not done, then watch what would happen in the legislative assembly. Then the 13 MNS legislators would act."
Since he was unwell, Raj made a brief speech. But he remained adamant on the issue of Marathi. The newly elected Samajwadi Party state unit President Abu Asim Azmi had earlier declared that he would take the oath in Hindi and has insisted that the House rules book be provided to him in Hindi too.
In another development, 13 days after the poll results had declared the Congress-NCP alliance victorious, the Congress-NCP are yet to stake their claim to form the next government in Maharashtra. The term of the present assembly comes to an end on Tuesday.
After the BJP, Shiv Sena on Monday pressured the Congress-NCP alliance to form the government by Tuesday. If the alliance fails to form the government, then it would call for president's rule in the state. Sena leader and Member or Parliament Sanjay Raut on Monday said: "We don't see the government taking shape. Hence there is no other option but president's rule being imposed on the state. We will meet the governor and make our demand."
According to Congress sources, it is likely that Chief Minister Ashok Chavan of Congress and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal may take the oath of office on Tuesday, and the ministers would be sworn in later. However, when Chavan was contacted to confirm this news, he said that he was totally unaware of any oath-taking ceremony on Tuesday.
But a tent has been erected inside the Governor's House for the swearing-in ceremony by the state protocol department. However, the decision on the time and date of swearing-in is yet to be conveyed by the two parties.
A senior Congress leader told Arab News that a deadlock persists on government formation with both the Congress and NCP leaders haggling over the portfolios. The NCP has been demanding a 22:20 formula, which the Congress is not ready to concede. Congress is ready to give only 18 berths to the NCP. Also the Congress is not ready to give the Home Ministry to NCP. In the event NCP insists on keeping the Home Ministry, the Congress is demanding back the finance and energy portfolios. The NCP, however, wants to stick to the 1999-model of ministry.
