BJP, Shiv Sena may part ways, again

Mumbai: The events over the last few days have indicated that the Shiv Sena and the BJP are yet again heading towards breaking off their alliance.

Sources from the Shiv Sena said on Tuesday that the party would continue to be part of the government in the state and at Centre for another year, but will quit the alliance before the Mumbai civic polls scheduled in 2017.

Series of events clearly indicate widening gap between the saffron alliance and the Sena has started creating an atmosphere where split will be inevitable. Both the parties have already decided to go it alone in the Kalyan-Dombivali municipal corporation election and the same pattern is likely to continue for the BMC election.

The BJP has also started preparing to deal with any situation that will arise after Shiv Sena walks off, specially in the state where the BJP does not have clear majority. The BJP ministers and party functionaries will be meeting on October 15 to chalk out their strategy.

“We have been clearly told to intensify our stand against the BJP. There is no doubt that the Sena is leading towards a split. But we cannot say when. Our party chief Uddhavji Thackeray will decide that,” a Sena MP said on condition of anonymity. “It was BJP that has looked down upon us. They deliberately kept Uddhav Thackeray out of the foundation stone programme,” said a Sena leader.

Meanwhile, controversial writer Salman Rushdie was flooded with a barrage of hate messages following his tweet in support of Nayantara Sahgal and other writers who returned their Sahitya Akademi awards.

The 68-year-old author responded in another tweet, “Here come the Modi Toadies. FYI (for your information), Toadies: I support no Indian political party and oppose all attacks on free speech. Liberty is my only party.”

His tweets came after Shiv Sena activists in Mumbai blackened the face of ORF chief Sudheendra Kulkarni for his refusal to cancel the book launch function on Monday.