Two days after the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) offered unilateral and unconditional outside support to the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shiv Sena lashed out at it saying that it was a brazen attempt to influence the would-be government to look the other way on corruption charges against NCP leaders.
An editorial in Saamna , the Sena mouthpiece, demanded that the new government proactively pursue the charges against senior NCP leader Praful Patel and others in his party.
“Modi himself called it a Naturally Corrupt Party. Vinod Tawde warned of sending corrupt leaders to jail. Keeping this in mind, it is crystal clear why Praful Patel is bowing down in front of them,” it said.
“We expect transparent and clean State politics. This position is in the interest of the State and that is the reason why we are presenting it. After all, everyone has to take their own decision,” said the editorial, without naming anyone.
The NCP’s unsolicited offer to the BJP even as the election results were trickling in had considerably weakened the bargaining position of the Sena though it had won 63 seats in a hung House of 288 members.
Reminding the BJP on how Mr. Pawar made fun of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the editorial said that he had insulted RSS cadres as “half-pants.”
“Till yesterday, the same BJP was a communal party of those who wear half-pants. Mr. Pawar made fun of them. And now Mr. Patel seems to have fallen in love with them,” the editorial remarked.
