Even as the Union Cabinet recommended President's Rule in poll-bound Maharashtra after Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan resigned following the end of the 15-year-old Congress-Nationalist Congress Party alliance in the state, Chavan blamed the NCP for the breakup.
In an exclusive interview to CNN-IBN, Chavan claimed that the NCP broke the alliance with the Congress because it was cosying up to the Bharatiya Janata Party. Chavan said that the alliance ended on the ground of chief ministership.
"The NCP demanded that the chief minister's post be shared, according to which each party will have a chief minister for two-and-half years. Earlier, it was the party getting maximum number of seats that got the chief ministership. The dispute was about power, about chief ministership,” he said.
Chavan added that state Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar even set a pre-condition. "The NCP demanded 30 more seats and wanted to contest 144 seats. We always had seat adjustment talks but there was a pre-condition this time," he said.
Chavan claimed that the NCP and the BJP colluded with each other to overthrow the state government just a few days before the assembly elections, "A game plan was worked out between the NCP and the BJP to pull the plug of the state government. The governor will then recommend President's Rule in the state."
On the question whether NCP and BJP are fighting against each other or is it a fixed match, Chavan said, "The NCP and the BJP are not in a fight but in a friendly match. All regional parties always side with the ruling party at the centre."
Chavan did not deny that the onus of saving the alliance was on him.
"As the leader of the alliance, the onus of saving it was on me. But I was sent to Maharashtra during a difficult time," Chavan added.
