Black Ink Day In History Of Maharashtra; We Will Fight This On Both Fronts, Political And Legal: Congress' Ahmed Patel

Congress' Ahmed Patel expressed his confidence by saying, "We will fight this on both fronts, political and legal."

Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Saturday spoke on the surprising political development in Maharashtra. (ANI)

New Delhi: Congress leader Ahmed Patel on Saturday spoke on the surprising political development in Maharashtra. Calling November 23 as the black spot in the history of Maharashtra, Patel said, "Everything was done in a hushed manner and early morning. Something is wrong somewhere. Nothing can be more shameful than this." Speaking to the media, Patel said that from day one after the election results were declared, the role of the Governor in the entire issue was questionable. "First, the BJP was invited, later Shiv Sena, then NCP, but the Congress was not given a chance to prove its majority or stake claim," Patel said while addressing the media soon after the Sena-NCP's joint briefing. "Now, suddenly without verifying the list of supporting MLAs, the government has been formed -- there's some wrong, something is stinking somewhere," the Congress leader said. He further said that all the three parties - Congress, NCP and Shiv Sena - are together. "I am confident we will defeat BJP in the trust vote. All Congress MLAs are present here except two who are right now in their village, but they too are with us," Patel said during the press conference in Mumbai. He also expressed his confidence by saying that they would put up "a political and legal challenge" at the manner in which a Bharatiya Janata Party-led government was sworn-in in Maharashtra under a shroud of secrecy at dawn on Saturday. Also Watch | NCP MLA Rajendra Shingane says Ajit Pawar did not inform him about oath ceremony He said the manner in which the swearing-in ceremony of the new government was carried out early in the morning with the presence of just one media, "they have exceeded all limits of shamelessness in flouting the democratic process, the laws and Constitutional niceties." "A process was underway among the Sena-NCP-Congress, but before allowing it to be completed, everything was done in a secretive manner. We (three parties) had completed all our discussions and were to finalise a couple of points by today afternoon, but before that everything happened," Patel said, adding that he was taken by surprise. The three parties will now resort to all "political and legal means" to tackle the issue which is a "blot on the state's political history", he said Meanwhile, hours after NCP leader Ajit Pawar joined hands with the BJP to form government in Maharashtra, Congress leader Yashomati Thakur said what happened was "unconstitutional" and "misuse of power". NCP's legislature party leader Ajit took oath as the deputy of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday morning. NCP chief Sharad Pawar has already said Ajit's decision was his "personal and not the party's". "What has happened is unconstitutional. It is misuse of power," Thakur told reporters here, attacking the BJP. Meanwhile, NCP workers raised slogans against Ajit as they rallied behind Sharad Pawar.