Uddhav Thackeray may ask Shiv Sena ministers to quit Maharashtra government

Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s memoir may have the unintended consequence of catalysing the breakdown of the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra.

The Sena is all set to walk out of the alliance, because Matoshree is peeved with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on a host of issues, the latest being the release of the former Pakistan foreign minister’s book in Mumbai.

Uddhav Thackeray may soon ask the party’s ministers in the Fadnavis government to quit their offices, sources in the Sena said. “Yes, it is very, very likely that we may sever ties with the BJP,” a key Sena leader, who wished to not be named, told TOI on Monday, soon after the book release function. A section in the Sena is keen on quickly snapping ties with the BJP, in view of the latter’s “condescending style of behaviour”, Sena sources said.

Matoshree is of the view that the BJP’s popularity is plummeting in Maharashtra and that the Sena will have to pay a heavy price in the upcoming civic elections if it continues in office. The Kasuri book was merely a test case, said the Sena leader. The Sena is more upset with Fafnavis–for providing security for the book release function — than it is with Kasuri or Sudheendra Kulkarni, the chief of the Observer Research Foundation, that hosted the event at the Nehru Centre on Monday.

Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut lashed out at Kulkarni for hosting the book release function. Describing Kulkarni as Pakistan’s “agent”, Raut said the Sena would continue its crusade against Pakistani artistes and cricketers visiting Mumbai.

Raut alleged that as Pakistan’s foreign minister, Kasuri had conducted a hate India campaign. He added that he had written to Fadnavis voicing his party’s objection to the book release. “We will continue to oppose Pakistan as long as it continues to attack India from across the border. This was the stand adopted by the late Balasaheb Thackeray. Under Uddhavji’s leadership, the party will take the same stand,” said Raut. Sena spokesperson Arvind Bhosale said there was no need for Kulkarni to host a second book release function in Mumbai as the book had already been released in New Delhi recently.

That Thackeray did not attend Prime Minister Modi’s function in Mumbai on Sunday was a clear indication that BJP-Sena ties have hit a new low since the alliance assumed office last October. The Sena may have cited protocol reasons for Thackeray’s absence at Modi’s function at Indu Mills, but it is clear that both allies have realized that they are not made for each other.

“Times have changed” said a key Maharashtra BJP leader. “Balasaheb Thackeray was open to discussions and suggestions. He would understand the government’s difficulties and would be willing, after gentle persuasion, for a climbdown. This helped Pramodji (Mahajan) and Gopinathji (Munde) to smoothly run the government with the Sena as our ally. However, the present Sena leadership lacks resilience and tact. They have a closed mind,” the BJP leader said.

Matoshree is of the view that the BJP government in Maharashtra lacks the political will to pursue the Sena’s “patriotic” agenda, especially its pet peeves: India-Pakistan cricket matches and public concerts of Pakistani artistes in Mumbai. “The BJP is behaving like Congress on the Pakistan issue. The Modi government continues to hem and haw as Pakistan keeps violating the ceasefire and kills our soldiers,” said a senior Sena functionary.

On other issues too, the allies don’t see eye to eye, a senior Sena minister said. “The Centre has been announcing hefty packages for other states –Bihar, for instance — however, Maharashtra is yet to get a decent aid package from the Union government to combat the drought situation,” he said.

Another senior Sena minister said the BJP hardly ever takes it into confidence. “We were not told in advance or consulted on the recent hike in taxes to raise funds for drought relief works in the state. This is frustrating. Files pertaining to my department do not land on my table. I am not kept in the loop on key decisions of my ministry. Senior BJP ministers decide among themselves on policy matters. Why should we continue in the government?”

The Sena also vehemently opposed the land acquisition Bill, clearly indicating that the saffron alliance is shaky. Even in the BMC, the two parties took each other on, on a slew of issues like the de-silting works in the city and the BJP’s ‘ban meat’ crusade.