NEW DELHI: Having roundly criticised the BJP and the Prime Minister over the last few months, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray termed Narendra Modi an "elder brother", signalling a thaw in the frosty ties between the two saffron allies.
Thackeray not only attended a meeting of NDA partners last night, but also had separate talks with BJP president Amit Shah during which the two leaders discussed a host of issues, and agreed to meet more often for better coordination, a senior BJP leader, who was present during the confabulations, said.
"Thackeray appreciated both Modi and NDA government at the centre for its development agenda and said Prime Minister is like our elder brother," the BJP leader said quoting the Shiv Sena boss.
Recalling the long association between the two parties, Thackeray told Shah that as a senior partner it had a greater responsibility towards ensuring improved coordination between them.
Uddhav also cracked a joke during his address to the NDA conclave, drawing a hearty laugh from Modi, sources in the BJP said, underlining the importance of the symbolism of body language during such gatherings.
With presidential election round the corner, the BJP is hopeful of securing the support of Sena's contingent of 18 MPs and 63 MLAs after the Shah-Thackeray meeting. The BJP's oldest pro-Hindutva ally was seen playing the hardball over the issue so far.
Sena had embarrassed BJP in the 2012 Presidential poll by backing the UPA candidate Pranab Mukherjee, while the saffron party supported P A Sangma for the post.
Thackeray also praised the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for farm loan waiver but insisted that the BJP dispensation in Maharashtra follow suit given the agrarian tragedy and hardship in the state, sources said.
From the issue of inflation to demonetisation and cross-border terrorism, Shiv Sena has criticised the BJP and Modi on a host of issues. Its mouthpiece 'Saamana' routinely publishes editorials against the saffron ally. Its leaders had even joined a TMC-led march to Rashtrapati Bhavan against demonetisation.
Nasik police lodged an FIR against Agarwal and retired army official Deep Chand under IPC provisions and Sections 3 (spying) and 7 (interfering with officers of police or members of the armed forces of the Union) of the Official Secrets Act (OSA).
Besides asking for a court-monitored probe, the plea, filed through lawyers Prashant Kumar and Anindita Pujari, has sought issuance of guidelines to prevent "abuse" of the provisions of the OSA.
The plea said that the issue was related to "manipulation"
of evidence, "hushing up" of criminal offences, the cause of "journalistic freedom" and the "right to freedom of speech and expression".
It pleaded for a issuance of suitable guidelines or directions giving a strict and controlling interpretation to the provisions of Official Secrets Act, 1923 to prevent its abuse and bring them in line with the scheme of the Constitution.
It said that the provisions of the Act were invoked in order to prevent the media and citizens from finding out the truth.
"The immediate provocation for invoking of the draconian provisions under the OSA against the petitioners is to scuttle and prevent a fair investigation into the unnatural death of one of the jawans who figured in the broadcast clip aired on February 24, 2017 with all faces blurred...
"His highly decomposed body was found on March 2, 2017 hanging for four days in an abandoned barracks nearly 200 metres from his living quarters in Deolali camp," it said.
The plea said Mathew went missing after he made the last call to his wife on February 25, 2017 and two days prior to his body being found, his reporting officer called the family to dissuade them from lodging a missing persons report.
The plea also sought a direction to the Centre to conduct an inquiry on "misuse" of sahayak (buddy) system in the army.
Deep Chand, who brought the journalist to the army area and got the sting operation done, be protected from physical harm, harassment and retributive action, it said Poonam had allegedly entered Heig Lines in Deolali camp without the permission of the authorities and filmed the premises besides carrying out a sting operation on Mathew and other jawans on February 24 in which she is said to have asked leading questions.
Mathew was found hanging from the ceiling of a room on March 2.
The police had also recovered a diary from his barracks with some scribblings in his mother tongue fearing possible action from his superiors, the plea said
A case of accidental death was then registered by Nashik Police under section 174 (police to inquire and report on suicide) of the CrPC.
Mathew went missing on February 25 after he purportedly figured in the expose by the portal with the video showing soldiers walking dogs of senior army officials or taking their children to school.