Joining the increasing chorus of voices against the government after the terror attacks on Mumbai, Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray said both the state and Central governments should be dissolved and fresh elections held.
Speaking to the press at Sena Bhavan on Monday in the backdrop of Deputy Chief Minister R R Patil’s resignation and talks rife of the Chief Minister’s resignation, Uddhav said that the government should own responsibility for the attack and all the ministers should resign. He added that the Prime Minister should also resign and fresh elections held.
With the terror strike in Mumbai lasting close to 60 hours, the government is under severe criticism from all quarters over its handling of the situation.
Though political parties initially refrained from politicising the incidents, the criticism from Opposition leaders is increasing steadily.
Meanwhile, claiming that the Congress- NCP led dispensation in Maharashtra had failed on all fronts including law and order, leader of the Opposition Ramdas Kadam demanded that the Centre dismiss the state government and call for fresh polls in the wake the attacks. In an interaction with the media on Monday, Kadam termed deputy chief minister R R Patil’s resignation and chief minister Vilasrao Deshmukh’s offer to resign as a “drama.”
He said the party would discuss the possibility of moving a vote of no-confidence against the Congress- NCP dispensation with its ally, the BJP. He came down hard on the government’s failure to maintain coastal security and said that while the city contributed Rs 85,000 crore to the central exchequer, it hardly received any funds from the state and Centre for its protection. Kadam defended the Shiv Sena’s criticism of ATS chief Hemant Karkare for his handling of the Malegaon blast probe.
... contd.