Mumbai: Responding to the Shiv Sena rant against the BJP after pre-civic poll alliance talks between the two parties failed, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the Sena’s stubborn attitude was responsible for the break in the saffron alliance. Earlier in the day, the Sena had blamed the BJP-led government for rampant corruption in as many as 30 State departments.
Claiming Shiv Sena had not accepted the proposition for ushering in greater transparency in the BMC, Mr. Fadnavis said the party was to blame for the the ‘collapse’ of Mumbai’s infrastructure, and refuses to mend its ways despite inflicting irreparable losses on Mumbai in the 25 years it has ruled Mumbai.
Addressing party workers at a rally in Goregaon on Saturday, an aggressive Mr. Fadnavis said the BJP was willing to compromise on a few seats but not on the need for a transparent BMC administration.
However, the Sena insisted on giving only 60 seats and rejected BJP’s demand for a 50:50 formula that put paid to the alliance, he said.
“What was the mistake in asking for transparency? Did I do anything wrong? The BJP will not join any government which does not believe in the ideals of warrior king Shivaji, who was the foremost proponent of transparent governance. The Sena’s thoughts were corrupt and therefore they backed out of this alliance,” Mr. Fadnavis said, urging party workers to prepare for the dharma yudh against corruption by the Congress and NCP, and the Sena’s ‘corrupt thoughts’. “In dharma yudh , we should not see who our opponent is, and instead take the side of the ideals of right governance. And only those who are transparent have the right to invoke the name of Shivaji and his style of clean governance.”
In a speech that lasted over 20 minutes, he repeatedly highlighted Shiv Sena’s governance failures, saying the party must own up to ‘irreparable damages’, such as not creating 24x7 water supply and an adequate rail network, and the astronomical rise in property prices. “This was a 25-year-old alliance cemented strong by great leaders of the two parties such as Bal Thackeray and Gopinath Munde. It was not our loss nor their’s, but the loss of Mumbai that Sena held power for 25 years in the corporation.”
Mr. Fadnavis said when Sena was offered transparency as an agenda during the seat sharing negotiations, the party went on the defensive, demanding that the State and Central governments must show transparency first.
“It is clear that those who do not admit mistakes and try to correct them have corrupt thoughts. I challenge them (Sena) [to prove] my government has done it so far and is prepared to take more transparent steps.”
Speaking before Fadnavis, BJP city unit chief Ashish Shelar alleged that the Sena is stitching together a secret alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), and blamed the Sena for being arrogant during negotiations. “We will not instigate anyone, but if anyone dares instigate us, we will not spare them,’ he said.
