Rajnath speaks to Uddhav, Sena sticks to its criticism

Shiv Sena, the oldest ally of BJP on Wednesday joined a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan led by TMC chief Mamata Banerjee

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday spoke to Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray and is believed to have conveyed BJP's unhappiness over NDA ally participating in a march against demonetisation even as the Sena stuck to its criticism, saying it could have been implemented in a better way.

The Shiv Sena, the oldest ally of BJP and part of the governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra, had on Wednesday joined a march to Rashtrapati Bhavan led by Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee and participated by AAP and National Conference.

While the other parties which took part in the march sought immediate withdrawal of demonetisation exercise, the Sena had differed on the issue and insisted that the government extend the deadline for accepting the old currency notes.

Earlier on Thursday,  Singh spoke to Thackeray on phone for about 10 minutes and is understood to have told him that Shiv Sena joining hands with the opposition, despite being part of the Modi government, was sending a confusing signal and such an action was avoidable.

Thackeray, talking on the development, said his party is with the government in the fight against black money, but the public has been inconvenienced by its implementation.

"We are with the government in their fight against black money. But common man has been immensely troubled by the way the decision was implemented. This should stop," he told reporters here.

"The common man is not a thief. I have conveyed to Rajnath Singh that though their intentions were right, the decision could have been implemented in a much better way," the Sena chief said.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "kadak chai" remark, Thackeray said that while strong tea is sold everywhere, it is the Shiv Sainiks who have been distributing tea to people standing in queues (at banks and ATMs).

"It was the government's responsibility to do this," he further said.

During the BJP's recent Parivartan Yatra rally in UP's Ghazipur district, Modi had said, "My decision is a little harsh. When I was young, poor people used to ask for 'kadak' (strong) tea but it spoils the mood of rich.