Not willing to settle with the demands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Tuesday said there are other options available. Talking to the media, Raut said, "Uddhav Thackeray ji has said that we have other options too but we don't want to do the sin of accepting that alternative."
"Shiv Sena has always done politics of truth, we are not hungry for power," Sanjay Raut said.
Further, on being asked about the reason for the delay in Maharashtra government formation, Raut said there is no Dushyant here who's father is in jail.
"There is no Dushyant here whose father is in jail. Here it's us who do politics of "dharma and satya," he said.
Earlier on Monday, Sanjay Raut had upped the ante against ally BJP, saying his party should not be compelled to look for an alternative to form the next government in Maharashtra and asserted there are "no saints in politics".
The BJP and the Sena, with 105 and 56 seats, respectively, in the new Assembly, are locked in a bittertussle over sharing of power.
Ever since the results were announced on October 24, there have been statements from sections in the Congress-NCP, though not officially, hinting that a move by the Sena to look beyond the BJP for government formation may get positive feelers.
"We believe in the alliance (with BJP) as we contested the polls jointly. But the BJP should not compel us to commit the sin of looking for
an alternative for government formation," Raut had said.
"No one is a saint in politics," he added.
Raut claimed the two parties had agreed on an "equal power" sharing formula and had even made an announcement on it in Mumbai.
"Ahead of the Assembly polls, the BJP requested Sena for more share of seats because of large number of turncoats.
"Sena chief (Uddhav) Thackeray agreed to it, hence they contested on 164 seats and the Sena on 124," Raut explained, adding, "We never lie in politics, even if it is for gaining power".
Queried on a scenario where the BJP goes ahead alone and stakes claim to form the government, he said, "The BJP is the single largest party at present in the state. If they can provide a majority government without the Sena's help, I welcome it."
Hardening stand on equal division of the chief ministerial tenure, Raut said, "We will see how they do not share the post of chief minister. Both the parties agreed on 50:50 power-sharing formula. There is no need to explain it in detail."
Raut claimed there has been no discussion so far between the BJP and Sena on government formation.
Raut is the chief whip of the party in Parliament and executive editor of Sena mouthpiece Saamana.
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