Maharashtra's Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis on Monday termed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government of the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress as a "horror film", which will end very soon.
The former BJP Chief Minister's comment came in reaction to senior Congress minister Ashok Chavan's statements to his party workers on Sunday in Nanded that the three-party MVA government is like a "multi-starrer film" which will complete its full term.
In an acidic counter-attack, Fadnavis said it is "not a multi-starrer, but a horror film, and the horror show will end soon".
Referring to Chavan's statement that the Shiv Sena had given a written undertaking it would work within the parameters of the Constitution and the MVA's Common Minimum Programme, he lashed out asking whether Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray () had presented a bouquet to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi.
Fadnavis demanded to know "why the Sena is part of the government" when the Congress has no faith in them, and termed it as "helplessness" of the (Sena) to stick to power.
Reiterating the MVA's known stance, Chavan said that though Gandhi was opposed to the alliance, the Maharashtra unit managed to convince her subject to the Sena agreeing to some conditions, which it did before the three-party government assumed office on November 28, 2019.
Though the real motives behind the assertions made by Chavan - who was named in the 2010 Adarsh Society scam - were not clear, the three MVA partners have sought to downplay his remarks, saying that the parties have already agreed to work as per the CMP.
Sena's Eknath Shinde, NCP's Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, senior leader Nawab Malik and Congress's Balasaheb Thorat said that the MVA is working smoothly as per the CMP.
Some Congress leaders privately pointed out that it was "improper" on the part of a senior leader like Chavan to speak on issues that were out of the purview of the CMP, without authorization.
They feel that such unwarranted remarks could create "unnecessary misunderstandings and create instability in the MVA" that could be exploited by the Opposition.
The BJP continued to harp on the issue with state Vice President Kirit Somaiya demanding that details of the Sena's "surrender agreement, what and how much compromise was made" should be made public.