Mumbai: Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VAB) chief Prakash Ambedkar on Friday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut of destroying the Maha Vikas Aghadi. Mr. Ambedkar said that his doors are still open for negotiation with partners of the MVA. The VBA chief said that his party will form a strong anti-BJP alliance by April 2 for the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
Mr. Ambedkar said he will spell out his strategy for Lok Sabha election and possible alliance partners on the same day.
The VBA chief has already spoken to Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil and Prakash Shendge of OBC Bahujan Party. He has indicated floating a Third Front in Maharashtra. At the same time, Mr. Ambedkar is trying to portray that he still wants to have an alliance with the MVA.
The VBA chief said he never stopped dialogue with the MVA, but it is true that the VBA has not been invited for the MVA meetings.
“Sanjay Raut, on behalf of the MVA, is setting a false narrative before the media. Everything was going well in the MVA till Shiv Sena leader Subhash Desai was negotiating with him for the alliance. Things changed after Mr. Raut stepped in. Therefore, I am saying that he is destroying the MVA,” the VBA chief said.
Mr Raut said that Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar and senior Congress leaders have also made efforts to form an alliance with Prakash Ambedkar’s VBA. “We offered five seats including Akola and Ramtek to the VBA. Mr. Ambedkar is an intellectual leader, who wants to eliminate the dictatorship in the country. We are keen that the VBA should forge an alliance with us,” he said.
