A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party said that the ‘doors of discussions with its estranged ally the Shiv Sena are not closed,’ the Sena on Wednesday taunted it saying the party must check now whether doors of Uddhav Thackeray’s house are open (for the BJP) or not for them.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday had said that the issue of Sena’s participation in the State Government is still open for discussion. “The doors for talks with the Sena are not closed. In politics such a thing never happens. Talks are possible,” Mr. Fadnavis had said. The CM has already announced that his Cabinet will be expanded before the winter session of the State Assembly.
“BJP’s doors could be open for discussion. However, they must check now whether the doors of Matoshree (Uddhav Thackeray’s residence) are open or not,” taunted senior Sena leader Ramdas Kadam.
The stern response of the Sena however does not match its actions on the ground. Its lone representative in the Modi government is very much there and the party continues to govern the cash rich Mumbai local body along with some other municipalities in the state in coalition with the BJP.
After the poll results on October 19, the Sena leadership was hopeful of a place in the Fadnavis government but the BJP has kept it on the hold.
In the State Assembly, the minority BJP Government with 122 MLAs has cleared the trust motion by voice vote. This decision too has come under severe criticism as the party is still falling short of 22 MLAs to prove the majority. While the NCP with 41 MLAs has extended unilateral support to the BJP, it did not participate in the voice vote.