MUMBAI: In Maharashtra, the BJP is trying to pit the Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) against each other for its own gain. Both the Sena and the MNS have been on the offensive against the Central BJP leadership over patriotism by raking up OROP and trying to stop the release of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, starring Pakistani actor Fawad Khan. By allowing MNS, led by Raj Thackeray, to step up its offensive against Johar, the BJP successfully transferred ownership of the anti-Pakistan rhetoric from the Shiv Sena to the MNS, making the former fall in line.
Alliance with the Shiv Sena in the upcoming local body polls was BJP’s need. “Shiv Sena and Congress are the real enemies of BJP. Their entire politics in last two years is focused against these two parties,” said former CM and Congress leader Narayan Rane. He appealed to the Shiv Sena to snap ties with the BJP for its own good. “They won’t be able to do that. They are trapped,” Rane added.
On Saturday, Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana questioned the NDA government’s stand over China. “We welcome surgical strikes against Pakistan. But will there be similar strikes against China?” stated the editorial in the newspaper, whose editor is party chief Uddhav Thackeray. On Friday, the editorial advised the government to shut down the Pakistan High Commission in Delhi. On Wednesday, it equated the encounter killing of eight SIMI cadres outside Bhopal with the infamous Ishrat Jahan case while raising questions over national security.
The Shiv Sena has spared no opportunity to criticise BJP president Amit Shah, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
While joining the BJP government in the state in 2014, Uddhav had said the Shiv Sena was allying only to bring stability in Maharashtra and would be the first to criticise the government. The Sena wanted to play the role
of an opposition despite enjoying all benefits of being in power. After two years, the marriage seems to have turned into a trap.
Fadnavis said: “There are no differences within the Cabinet, we don’t have any problem.” According to state environment minister Ramdas Kadam of the Shiv Sena, criticism of his government by his party comes “as an obvious reaction of the fact that the BJP is after reaping political benefit of everything. The MNS is a spent force that the BJP wants to use against Shiv Sena”.