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Sena MLAs have approached Congress: Kripa Shankar

Minister of State for Home Kripa Shankar Singh has claimed that a split was likely in the Shiv Sena legislative group in Maharashtra as a sizeable number of Sena Members of the Legislative Assembly have approached the Congress to join the party.

Addressing presspersons in Nagpur on Sunday, Singh said, "we are waiting for more Sena men to contact us before taking a final decision." There could be a repeat of the Chhagan Bhujbal episode, he said. Eight years ago, Bhujbal, then a senior leader in the Sena, crossed over to the Congress with a handful of legislators.

He dismissed any threat to the Congress-National Congress Party government from the Sena, despite repeated threats by the latter to dislodge the alliance government. He also said there were no differences between Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and state Congress chief Govindrao Adik.

He said that party president Sonia Gandhi was reviewing the performance of Congress ministers in the state cabinet. Once this exercise was over, the proposed expansion could take place, Singh, also a general secretary of the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee, said.

To a question, he disclosed the state government would be recruiting 7000 constables and 800 officers shortly to strengthen the police force in the state.

PTI

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