Fadnavis calls Congress a ‘sinking ship’ amid merger speculation

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis termed Congress a "sinking ship" amid speculation about Opposition unity. He said any merger of regional parties with Congress would only create more political space for the BJP, which is closely watching developments

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the Congress is a “sinking ship” and that he doesn’t think any Opposition party would want to board it. Fadnavis was responding to questions on speculation about the merger of Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and Sharad Pawar’s NCP (SP) with the Congress.

Opposition consolidation will mean the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will get more political space, he told reporters here. “Congress is a sinking ship, and no one ever sets foot on a sinking ship. But if anyone does, we have nothing to lose,” the CM stated.

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Fadnavis said the BJP has adopted a wait-and-watch approach. “Even if Opposition parties step into the Congress, which is a sinking ship, we will get more political space,” he added.

On Wednesday, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had suggested that parties like the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Nationalist Congress Party (SP), formed after their leaders quit the Congress, should return to the fold of the Grand Old Party so as to create a strong alternative to the BJP. Raut on Thursday said NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar should take a lead in merging the smaller parties back with the Congress.

His comments came after the drubbing faced by the TMC in the West Bengal assembly elections held recently.