Mr. Sarma’s statement comes about a widening rebellion in Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday, cleared the air in regard to allegations of aiding a coup against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray by hosting rebel Shiv Sena MLAs at a five-star hotel in Guwahati, saying he could not stop anyone from visiting his state.
He further said “I invite MLAs from all over the country to visit Assam. How can I stop people from coming to a hotel? Can I tell you not to come to a hotel in Assam because there is a federal structure in the country? I am happy when anyone comes to Assam, they can stay as long as they want,” Mr. Sarma said while speaking to ANI.
When asked what he would tell Mr. Thackeray, he said, “You should come for a vacation too.”
Mr. Sarma’s statement comes about a widening rebellion in Maharashtra’s ruling Shiv Sena against Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Around 40 Shiv Sena MLAs led by minister Eknath Shinde are believed to be holed up in BJP-ruled Assam, challenging Mr. Thackeray’s leadership and an alliance with the Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The rebels have called for the Shiv Sena to quit the unlikely alliance and partner with the former ally BJP instead – a demand that Mr. Thackeray’s camp has said it was willing to consider, even as it moved to have 16 of the dissidents disqualified from the assembly.
According to sources, Mr. Shinde has reached the magic number of MLAs, 37, required to split the party in the assembly without falling foul of the anti-defection law.
What Is Anti Deflection Law: The bill received the President’s approval on 15 February 1985 and the act came into effect on 18 March 1985. The law laid out the process for disqualifying an elected member for the remaining term, who defected either by resigning or by defying the party leadership and being absent on a crucial vote. However, the anti-defection law does not apply if the number of MLAs who leave a political party constitutes two-thirds of the party’s strength in the legislature. These MLAs can merge with another party or become a separate group in the legislature. In this case, 37 is the required number.
Meanwhile, The BJP has officially maintained its stance that they have no involvement in the political crisis and that it is an internal issue of the Shiv Sena.
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