New Delhi, Nov. 11 (PTI): The BJP on Monday lost its oldest and the only major Hindutva ally as the Shiv Sena, its partner for more than three decades, walked out of the Modi government at the Centre.
The decision of the Maharashtra party to snap ties came following years of unease in the alliance and reached a flash point after the recent assembly election results, with the Sena accusing the BJP of breaking “promise” of equal division of power in the state.
The BJP has asserted that it had never agreed to share the post of chief minister, as claimed by Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.
The divorce between the two parties wedded to the Hindutva ideology finally happened after an acrimonious relationship over the last five years. The first strains in their ties surfaced in the 2014 assembly polls when they fought separately after the Sena’s refusal to part with the number of seats the BJP wanted.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the BJP to an unprecedented win in the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, it sensed an opening in Maharashtra to oust Sena from the position of senior ally, a position the party founded by Bal Thackeray had enjoyed till his reign.
The Sena was forced to become the junior partner as the BJP won 122 seats in the 288-member assembly while it won 63.
They joined hands to form the government, with the BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis becoming the chief minister. The first and only saffron government in the state earlier between 1995-2000 was headed by Sena leaders.
The Sena, however, never reconciled to its reduced status as the lotus bloomed in one local poll after another and the BJP under Modi and its president Amit Shah also became the flag bearer of Hindutva with Thackeray’s party following in its shadow.
Through its mouthpiece Saamana and sundry leaders Sena kept attacking the Modi government off and on and even blocked its leader Anil Desai from joining as a minister in the Centre. That it was never given portfolios of its choice at either the Centre or the state always remained an irritant for the party.
With 18 members in Lok Sabha, the Sena was the biggest NDA constituent after the BJP but its departure will not make any difference to the government’s stability as the ruling party alone has 303 MPs in the 543-member House.
While on the one hand Sena’s severing ties with the NDA underscores the BJP’s growing hegemony which forced an avowed secular party like the Congress to mull supporting a strident Hindutva party like the Sena, it also highlights how the ruling party’s expansionist drive under Modi and Amit Shah has made its allies of decades uneasy.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who heads the JD(U), hardly shares the same level of warmth with the BJP since his return to the NDA in 2016 that he did when he was part of the saffron alliance for more than 15 years before breaking ties in 2013.
Kumar’s party has refused to join the Modi government as it believes that it was not offered its due share. Akali Dal- the second oldest BJP ally after the Sena- has often in the past expressed its reservations over its ally’s policies.
The BJP in the last few years lost a major ally like TDP but also gained a big regional partner like AIADMK and several smaller allies in north-eastern states.
Maharashtra Governor B.S. Koshyari late on Monday invited the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) to form the next government in the state, the partys national spokesperson Nawab Malik said.
“Our delegation has been invited by the Governor and the indication is that a letter of invitation will be given to us. Tomorrow we shall discuss with the Congress on the ways and means to form the next government,” Malik told newpersons.
Earlier, senior NCP leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar informed the media that he was called by the Governor at 8.30 p.m. and he was proceeding to the Raj Bhavan for a meeting along with half-a-dozen other leaders, but claimed that he had no knowledge as to why he was called.
Malik added that given the short 24-hour time limit, the Congress-NCP could not comply with all the requirements to enable the Shiv Sena finalise its claim for forming the government.
“The Governor requires letters with signatures, names, constituency names and the number of all the supporting legislators which was difficult to organise at such a short notice. The Sena sought additional time, but the Governor expressed his inability to grant the extension,” Malik said.
Earlier, on Sunday, the Bharatiya Janata Party expressed its inability to form the government, and on Monday, the Shiv Sena could not produce the letters of support from the Congress and the NCP though it has secured ‘in-principle’ support from both the parties. And now, the NCP has been given the opportunity.
No compromise on principles, says Congress leader on govt. formation in Maharashtra
As the Congress is holding discussions on whether or not to support Shiv Sena in forming a government in Maharashtra, senior party leader and former union minister Pallam Raju on Monday said there was no question on compromising with principles that the party stands for.
“There is no question of a compromise, we (Congress) act in a very very responsible manner and we do look to Sharad Pawar (NCP chief), who is a senior leader in Maharashtra, to also decide what should be the outcome,” Raju said.
Speaking to reporters here, he, however, said Congress’ stand on its principle were very clear.
The Congress Working Committee, chaired by Party president Sonia Gandhi met in New Delhi on Monday to take a decision on whether or not to support the Shiv Sena in forming a government in Maharashtra.
The BJP which won 105 seats in the recent Assembly elections opted out of government formation in Maharashtra.
Shiva Sena has 56 MLAs while the NCP has 54 and Congress 44.
Amid talks that the NCP and Congress may support the Shiv Sena in government formation in Maharashtra, NCP chief Sharad Pawar said whatever be the decision, the two parties will take it together.
Stating that Congress always maintained an arm’s distance from Shiv Senam, Raju said it is their internal differences with the BJP that has precipitated the situation in Maharashtra.
“We have to wait for the outcome of what is happening.”
“Despite having an electoral understanding BJP and Shiv Sena have failed to form the government because of internal differences, we have nothing do with it. People have given us the opposition status; we will play that role,” he added.
To a question on Congress being part of a coalition government in Maharashtra after having not so great experience in Karnataka, Raju said, “I cannot predict on what will happen in Maharashtra.”
“Here (Karnataka) coalition was on good faith and I think it would have sustained if not for the efforts that was directly done by the central government and Amit Shah (BJP president) in harbouring 17 MLAs.”
Resignation and absence of 17 Congress and JD(S) legislators from the trust vote had resulted in the collapse of H D Kumaraswamy-led coalition government in July and paved way for the BJP to come to power in Karnataka.
