The MLAs from Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress were made to swear an oath on national television affirming their allegiance towards the supremos of the parties. They were made to swear that they will not get lured by any inducements nor would they do anything that will benefit the BJP.
#WATCH Mumbai: Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress MLAs assembled at Hotel Hyatt take a pledge, “I swear that under the leadership of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray & Sonia Gandhi, I will be honest to my party. I won’t get lured by anything. I will not do anything which will benefit BJP”. pic.twitter.com/CV8VhOmKl1
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2019
The Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress MLAs took the oath pledging loyalty to the leadership of Sharad Pawar, Uddhav Thackeray and Sonia Gandhi.
The spectacle reminds one of the morning assemblies in school where every student is made to pledge that “India is my country and all Indians are my Brothers and Sisters.” However, it is common knowledge that the pledge gets particularly difficult to adhere to and the hollowness of it becomes evident during adolescence when students start developing romantic feelings towards their friends in schools.
One wonders whether the MLAs were having similar sentiments while swearing their loyalty towards their party supremos. The demonstration also appears to be more monarchical in nature than democratic and gives one the distinct feeling of noblemen swearing oaths of fealty towards their respective King or Queen.
The alliance of the three parties claimed that there were 162 MLAs present at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Mumbai where the senior leaders of the parties claimed to have demonstrated their majority. However, there’s no way to check the veracity of their claims as the crowd was just too huge.
The BJP, in its reply, maintained that there weren’t even 145 MLAs present while Sharad Pawar claimed that even more could join the alliance in the coming days. Ashish Shelar of the BJP claimed that it was an insult to the MLAs as identification parade was carried as if they were accused of some crime.
Ashish Shelar, BJP in Mumbai: Identification parade is done in case of accused persons, not in case of elected MLAs. It is an insult to the MLAs and the people who elected them. #Maharashtra https://t.co/5dXLqU3cI7 pic.twitter.com/X3dzynKTSf
— ANI (@ANI) November 25, 2019
Ashish Sehlar said, “Such a parade is done for criminals, not for legislators.” He also said Shiv Sena’s Hindutva was a massive fraud. He stated, “We saw Aaditya Thackeray take oath in the name of Sonia Gandhi. Today we have seen how fraud is Shiv Sena’s Hindutva.” He added, ”We have full confidence in our numbers and will likely win the trust vote with a thumping majority under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar.”
After the parade was over, the MLAs were transported back to their respective hotels in buses under strict supervision. One wonders how could the citizens of Maharashtra trust these elected representatives when they are not trusted even by the political parties which nominated them.
