This refers to Sanjay Jog's article "When estranged allies unite" (State Scan, December 7). It is true that the Shiv Sena has relented and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Maharashtra, primarily to maintain its hold on the golden goose called the Mumbai Municipal Council and to prevent defection of its MLAs to the BJP for spoils of office. But it is also equally true that the BJP had neither stopped holding out an olive branch to the Shiv Sena nor ruled out an alliance because the former did not want to depend on the Nationalist Congress Party to survive - which it had slammed for corruption during the Assembly elections.
But this patch-up between the BJP and Shiv Sena could continue to come under strain from time to time, if not collapse altogether. Used to calling the shots in state politics, the Shiv Sena will throw tantrums on one pretext or another. Moreover, the political constituencies of both the parties overlap.
Tarsem Singh Hoshiarpur
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