Cong to Uddhav: Covid over, now resurrect MVA common agenda

Mumbai, March 30 (IANS) Tweaking the ears of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ally Congress on Wednesday asked him to now start implementing the Common Minimum Programme (CMP) of the three partners.

In a letter to Thackeray, state Congress President Nana Patole said that the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress - hailing from different ideological backgrounds -- had decided to run the MVA government on the basis of a CMP.

"Owing to the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic since March 2020, the CMP implementation was delayed, but now as the coronavirus threat is over, the CMP should be executed for the overall development of all sections of society," Patole urged the Chief Minister.

He referred to the suggestion by Congress President Sonia Gandhi who desired that the MVA should function as per the CMP that was decided ahead of the swearing-in of the Thackeray government in November 2019, and block the communal forces from coming to power.

He pointed out that the Congress party strives to ensure justice to all sections of the masses and urged the CM to work on the welfare schemes for the Dalits, OBCs and minorities.

"Despite the challenges encountered during the two year of the pandemic, the MVA government under Thackeray's leadership did a commendable job. With the situation now normalising, the work of the state government and the economy is coming back on the tracks," said Patole.

To a query, Patole reiterated that the MVA government is stable and there is no 'discontent' among the 3 allies, and accused the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party of spreading rumours of differences in the coalition.

He countered reports that some Congress legislators planned to meet Sonia Gandhi and said that there was nothing wrong if the elected representatives wanted to meet senior leaders on certain issues.