HERALD: Was the MGP petition at High Court aimed at creating pressure on BJP to yield CM’s chair to MGP?
VINAY TENDULKAR: That is not true as the MGP President Deepak Dhavalikar has clearly told us that it was the decision of their party’s central committee. And any way it is a well-known fact that the BJP does not succumb to pressure from any quarter.
HERALD: Will the MGP petition be able to cull horse trading in politics for good?
TENDULKAR: It will all depend upon what the court decides as they have a prayer that anybody who defects should not be allowed to contest the next elections. The court has to decide on this and the court decision will decide the future course. However, in India anybody and everybody has the freedom to decide which party to join and which party to quit and therefore one cannot curtail this freedom of the people.
HERALD: With 2 MLAs less, 3-4 seriously ill MLAs to be replaced leading to almost one fourth of seats to go to polls, shouldn’t the Assembly be dissolved?
TENDULKAR: There is absolutely no need to dissolve the assembly as the government is functioning. While some sick ministers who could not function have been replaced the chief minister is functioning and clearing files even in his sickness so where is the need to dissolve the assembly?
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HERALD:Was the MGP petition at High Court aimed at creating pressure on BJP to yield CM’s chair to MGP?
DEEPAK DHAVALIKAR: The petition was not to put any pressure but to correct a wrong that has happened whereby the people’s mandate has been insulted. Such defections also create instability in the government and smaller parties can be damaged and this should not happen. Besides, it gives an impression that the BJP does not trust its coalition partners and hence has admitted the defectors under its wings and will probably continue doing this till they get an absolute majority thereby not needing coalition partners in future.
HERALD: Will the MGP petition be able to cull horse trading in politics for good?
DEEPAK: It will definitely stop horse trading if the defecting person is disqualified from contesting next elections. Subhash Shirodkar has the record of defecting 6 times while Dayanand Sopte has defected 4 times and this has to stop somewhere.
HERALD: With 2 MLAs less, 3-4 seriously ill MLAs to be replaced leading to almost one fourth of seats to go to polls, shouldn’t the Assembly be dissolved?
DEEPAK:The ball is in BJP’s court and they have asked us for a fortnight following which they promised a solution. So let us wait and watch.
