In a stinging attack on ex-ally Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana went back in time to remind the ruling party of its roots using ‘Hindutva’ and ‘Nationalism’ to drive home the point.
Accusing the BJP of announcing the Sena’s ouster from National Democratic Alliance (NDA) without any discussion, the editorial said, “we supported Hindutva at a time when nobody touched it… when many of you were not even born”. Sena further asked: “who are the they (BJP) to expel Shiv Sena from the NDA.”
“Those who announced our ouster from the NDA must take lessons in history. We are the ones who powered the Sangh … When Balasaheb Thackeray, AB Vajpayee, LK Advani, Parkash Singh Badal and George Fernandes laid the foundation for the NDA, many of the present leaders were nowhere…” the editorial in Tuesday’s edition said.
Earlier on Sunday Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi had announced that Sena was being allotted seats in Opposition camp in the Lok Sabha as it was ‘working out alliance with the Congress and the NCP’.
“Shiv Sena’s minister has resigned from the NDA government… they are not attending today’s NDA meeting and working out alliance with the Congress and the NCP. So it is natural that they will be allotted seats on the opposition side in both houses,” Joshi told reporters after an all-party meeting.
To this the Saamana responded with,” One Pralhad Joshi has said this… he clearly is not aware of the Shiv Sena’s spirit and NDA’s actions and deeds… There was a time when nobody would stand next to the BJP, and words such as Hindutva and Nationalism were not even in the political lexicon of the country.”
The editorial hit out at the BJP over its tie-ups with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir and the JD(U) in Bihar. “Did the BJP seek NDA’s permission before coming together with Mehbooba Mufti or with Nitish Kumar?” the editorial asked adding that if the BJP thought that the Sena has gone against the NDA then why it hadn’t invited the Sena to discuss the issue in an NDA meeting.
The editorial compared the BJP to Mughal emperor Muhammad Ghori and said those who are backstabbing will be given a befitting reply from Maharashtra. “This is the beginning of the end of egoistic and arbitrary politics,” it said.
The decades-old alliance between the Shiv Sena and BJP turned sour after the former pressed for the demand of sharing the chief ministerial post in Maharashtra. The Sena is now holding talks with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form a non-BJP government in the state.
Arvind Sawant, the lone Sena minister in the Union council of ministers submitted his resignation last Monday. The party also kept away from the meeting of NDA constituents on the eve of the winter session of Parliament.
