We are not narrow-minded and did it for nation’s good, says Uddhav
A day after majority of his MPs asked Uddhav Thackeray to support the NDA’s presidential candidate Droupdai Murmu, the embattled Shiv Sena chief decided to break rank with the Opposition and cast his lot with the BJP. Though Uddhav denied he had come under pressure, it was obvious that his decision was a desperate attempt to prevent further division in the Shiv Sena.
The Shiv Sena has 19 MPs in the Lok Sabha, including 18 from Maharashtra. It has three MPs in the Rajya Sabha.
Uddhav said the Sena is announcing support for Murmu without any pressure while acknowledging that this is the first occasion wherein a tribal woman is getting the opportunity to become the President.
“Nobody pressured me in the meeting of Sena MPs,” Thackeray said, referring to the meeting of Sena MPs held at his residence in Mumbai a day earlier. It was widely reported that majority of the 15 MPs who attended Monday’s meeting, advocated that Shiv Sena should back the NDA candidate.
With the Sena’s support, the presidential election has now become a mere formality as Murmu is expected to gain over 60 per cent votes against the Opposition’s candidate Yashwant Sinha. In addition to the BJP, the NDA nominee has been assured support from several regional parties such as the BJD, YSR-CP, BSP, the AIADMK, TDP, JDS, Shiromani Akali Dal and now Shiv Sena.
“I am clarifying my stand. Tribal leaders of my party told me that this is the first time that a woman from the tribal community is getting the chance to become the President. Respecting their views, we have decided to back Droupadi Murmu’s candidature,” Uddhav said. Thackeray admitted that several party leaders, especially from the tribal community like MLC Aamshya Padvi, former MLA Nirmala Gavit and Eklavya Sanghtana’s Shivajirao Dhavale had urged him to back Murmu. The Sena chief said he also got representations from Nomadic Tribes and Scheduled Tribes communities to back Murmu.
“I am again saying there is no pressure on me to back Droupadi Murmu. Going by the present political atmosphere, I should not have backed her (Murmu) because she is a candidate of the Bharatiya Janata Party. But we are not narrow-minded,” Thackeray said.
Uddhav pointed out that the Sena had backed the United Progressive Alliance’s (UPA’s) nominees Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee in the Presidential polls held in 2007 and 2012, respectively, even though the Sena was a constituent of the BJP-led NDA at that time.
“Even at that time, the Shiv Sena had thought beyond politics and did what is good for the country,” Thackeray said.
The Congress , which is part of the MVA along with Sena and NCP, is not amused by Uddhav’s decision on backing Murmu.