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Although the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena (SS) are sharing power in Maharashtra since December last year, they are also engaged in continuous verbal sniping at each other. They'd separately contested the legislative assembly elections in October last year and, when neither got a majority, decided to restore their snapped alliance and jointly share power. Compulsion, not first choice, and neither hides its ambition to get free of alliance compulsions in the coming period.
Last week, the SS said it was not going to ally with the BJP in the election to the Kolhapur civic body; it would contest all 81 seats on its own. That was in response to a series of political pinpricks from the other side, including moves to ally with local groupings not the Sena's liking. The BJP, the Sena contends, behaves as though it is the big brother. The Sena has already declared it intends to strengthen the party in the state with the idea of coming to power on its own, with a rising urban population and the perception of an erosion in the vote bank of its big rivals on the other side of the political divide, the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
BJP leader and cooperation minister Chandrakant Patil, close to national party chief Amit Shah, while countering the Sena's accusations on Kolhapur politics, indicated his party's belief that with its wherewithal and networks, it could outpace the SS, here and in other districts of western Maharashtra.
Abraded feelings
A section of the Sena admits that their chief, Uddhav Thackeray's go-ahead for the Kolhapur unit to go solo is in line with a plan to consolidate their party's presence across the state, ahead of crucial elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the adjoining Thane Municipal Corporation, slated for February, 2017. BMC, ruled for 23 years by the SS in an alliance with the BJP, the latter as a junior partner, is considered the party's lifeline. It is determined to retain its hold. In elections held to the Aurangabad and Navi Mumbai civic bodies, the Sena had scored over its partner.
The SS has repeatedly aired its displeasure over alleged 'humiliation' and 'neglect' by the BJP in running the government and taking key decisions. Party ministers are yet to adjust to the relatively non-lucrative and low-profile ministries allocated to them in the Devendra Fadnavis (BJP)-led government. Major decisions relating to their departments, they say, are moved by the chief minister's office. After much discussion, a coordination committee between the two parties is functional but the Sena is not happy at its functioning. Despite repeated asking, Fadnavis and the BJP in general have yet to concede the Sena's demand for a major share in the appointments to various state undertakings. These appointments have yet to take place.
After the BJP's huge defeat in the elections to Delhi's legislative assembly, Thackeray had even said this was a mandate against the Narendra Modi government at the Centre, after having denied that a 'Modi wave' was responsible for the Congress-NCP defeat in the Maharashtra polls. An angry BJP had said the Sena should quit the government before targeting Modi.
Continuous sniping
Thereafter, the SS had accused the Modi government of "compromising" on issues dear to Hindutva hardliners, beside terming as "treason" the BJP's coalition with the PDP in Kashmir. Sanjay Raut, a Sena MP, said of both Modi and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh chief Mohan Bhagwat that, "They seem to have forgotten that Hindustan is 100 per cent for Hindus."
Then, again, Thackeray, in the wake of scams involving senior BJP faces at the Centre and elsewhere, including Maharashtra, said corruption was visible everywhere despite the change in rulers in Delhi. He's even called for a probe into the allegations of graft against state BJP ministers Pankaja Munde and, both of whose departments have been the subject of diverse charges. Thackeray has said, an independent inquiry is needed to brig out the facts.
Fadnavis and the BJP in general have downplayed such utterances and given a clean chit to party ministers. Meanwhile, the Sena has also gone on attack against the central government (of which it is a constituent) over the land acquisition bill, saying it would oppose this in the larger interest of farmers. Anand Adsul, its chief whip in the Lok Sabha, has attended a meeting of opposition parties hosted by NCP chief Sharad Pawar to decide floor strategy against the bill, while also denying siding with opposition parties. However, Adsul has said, basic amendments are needed.
Such aggressive postures have forced the BJP to hold coordination meeting of its National Democratic Alliance constituents, with an assurance that such interaction will be regular.
In Maharashtra, after the BJP's humiliating defeat in the elections only a month before for the Bhandara and Gondia zilla parishads in the Vidarbha region, the Sena said this was due to the government's tardiness on the burgeoning incidents of farmer suicides. There would be more such defeats, it said, if corrective action wouldn't be taken.
Mutual tripping
The Shiv Sena has also joined the chorus for a loan waiver to farmers affected due to drought and by untimely rain and hail in February-March this year. Fadnavis has remained firm on not doing so, saying the waiver given in 2008 had not helped farmers but had only helped the district banks, controlled by the Congress-NCP. This refusal did not go down well in the Sena, which has attacked the administration for the lack of timely and adequate assistance in drought-hit districts.
In Mumbai is concerned, the Sena and BJP have both tried to strengthen their presence. In the process, they've stepped on each other's toes. Shiv Sena youth wing chief Aditya Thackeray mooted allowing more of night life in the city; this was immediately opposed by BJP city chief Ashish Shelar, citing security concerns. Subsequently, the BJP pitched for night markets in the city and it was the Sena's turn to oppose it on similar grounds. The BJP has targetted the Shiv Sena on the issue of waterlogging in various parts after June's torrential rains, also demanding an inquiry. In turn, Uddhav Thackeray has reminded the BJP that rains similarly affected most cities in Gujarat, the latter's fortress. Fadnavis later did order a high-level inquiry into waterlogging and the contracts given by the Sena-run BMC for pre-monsoon works.
Cooler talk and ahead
However, Shiv Sena legislator and spokesperson Neelam Gorhe downplays the differences, saying both are free to pursue their respective agendas. "Shiv Sena feels it has bright prospects by going solo in Kolhapur," he states. However, he admits both need to increase their dialogue. "It is a big positive that the BJP leadership and Sena chief have made it clear that the government will complete its five-year term with more consultative processes. There will be collective team work," he said.
Gorhe adds that neither the BJP nor Sena are in a mood to rock the boat beyond a point, knowing another divorce might lead to fresh elections in the state. However, time will tell whether the two continue to sing a unity tune or decide to get into solo performance.
