Mumbai/Sangli: Even though the Shiv Sena has trained its guns on its erstwhile alliance partner with Mr Uddhav Thackeray accusing the BJP of “betraying” the blessings of his father, the late Balasaheb Thackeray, BJP leaders have been indicating that the two parties may again come together after the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who was at the helm of pre-poll seat-sharing negotiations with the BJP, is the latest to suggest the possibility of a post-poll alliance with the Shiv Sena. In an interview to a local news channel, Mr Gadkari said he had been pained by the break-up of the 25-year-old Sena-BJP alliance. Dismissing the allegations made by the Shiv Sena, Congress and MNS that there was a covert understanding between the BJP and NCP that led to the breaking of alliances, Mr Gadkari said his party had tried its best to save its alliance with the Sena and that the BJP could consider joining hands again with its estranged ally if the situation demanded.
Describing the breaking of the saffron alliance in Maharashtra as most “unfortunate and painful”, Mr Gadkari, when asked about a post-poll tie-up (in a hung Assembly scenario) with the Sena, said, “If the situation arises, we can certainly think of that. Shiv Sena has been our ally bound together on the basis of Hindutva. We have the same amount of love for Bal Thackeray as we have for Atalji.”
The lone Sena member of the NDA Cabinet, Anant Geete, need not resign and nobody from the BJP has asked him to step down, he told a Marathi news channel.
When asked whether the BJP would consider taking the support of the NCP-Congress after the elections as an expediency, Mr Gadkari said, “We will get a majority. No ifs and buts.”
In Sangli on a whirlwind campaign tour that will take him to 50 constituencies, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said the main reason for the BJP opting to break the alliance was that the Sena would not allow it to break up Maharashtra by forming a separate Vidarbha state.
Mr Thackeray said the break-up of the alliance on the pretext of seat-sharing was just an excuse given by the BJP. “This is the Maharashtra of Chhatrapati Shivaji and they (BJP) are trying to break it up to get votes. However, they know that as long as we are there we will not let that happen and hence decided to break the alliance,” he said. Mr Thackeray also warned the BJP that if the Sena helped them get recognition in Maharashtra, they could also ruin them. “The BJP has betrayed the blessings given to it by my father (Bal Thackeray). People are watching everything and they know the truth. If we could stand behind you when you were a non-entity in the state to make you an important political player, we can certainly be the cause of your downfall as well,” he said. He reiterated that the Marathi people were proud of the current Maharashtra and none of the tactics of the BJP to divide the state would be effective.
“The BJP is using its entire might against us. They will be sending all the Central ministers to Maharashtra to campaign and ensure the Sena is defeated. We have nothing except the blessings of the people. And we will show them what wonders blessings can do,” said Uddhav Thackeray.
Accusing former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan of trying to turn the tide in his favour, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Prithviraj Chavan sat on files and did not take important decisions concerning Maharashtra when he was chief minister. But at the end of his term he started signing on files to show us that yes, he is capable of signing.”
