Letter to BS: When Rahul Gandhi says happy birthday Uddhavji

Shiv Sena suffers from visible hatred for Modi because of an existential threat - he has reduced them to second position in the Maharashtra Assembly

This refers to Shekhar Gupta’s column “When Rahul says happy birthday Uddhavji” (July 29). We need to consider the implications of coalitions vis-à-vis the Constitution along with the compulsions of politics. When partners in a coalition speak in opposite voices and condemn the decisions of the government of which they are a part incessantly, it not only belies the meaning of the word coalition but also mocks democratic norms.

Shiv Sena is a glaring example of this. It fought the Lok Sabha election as a member of the coalition and had its say in appointing ministers from the party. Even as