New Delhi: With the decades-long alliance in tatters over government formation in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena Tuesday lashed out at BJP for making its MPs sit on the opposition benches in Parliament and removing the party from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
In an editorial published in its mouthpiece Saamana, Sena compared the BJP with 12th century Ghurid dynasty ruler Muhammad Ghori and said it shouldn’t have allowed the party to grow (in Maharashtra) the way it has.
“We ended up making the same mistake as Prithviraj Chauhan, who allowed Ghori to live even after defeating him 17 times. Ghori only got stronger and jailed Chauhan the 18th time and tortured him,” the Sena said, in reference to the Chauhan dynasty’s loss in the Second Battle of Tarain.
“In the past, Sena also pardoned such traitors in Maharashtra and paid the price too. They are now trying to assault Sena,” said the editorial.
As the Winter Session of Parliament began Tuesday, the Sena was made to sit on the opposition benches. The move was announced Sunday by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi as the Sena was “working out an alliance with NCP and Congress”.
The lone Sena minister in the NDA government at the Centre had resigned earlier this month.
Also read: When enemy’s friend is your friend: Congress-NCP take a leaf out of BJP-Left book
Anger over removal from alliance
In its editorial, the Shiv Sena hit out at “one” Pralhad Joshi.
Noting that the Sena stood with the BJP when no one else did, the party said, “It was (Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackeray who formed the NDA along with others when no one used to talk about Hindutva and nationalism in politics.
“Those who are running the NDA today should know that when Thackeray, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, L.K. Advani, George Fernandes and Parkash Singh Badal laid the foundation of a democratic alliance, many of the preset leaders were not even born,” it said.
Fuming over the manner in which it was removed from the alliance on the death anniversary of Thackeray, the editorial called the move “demeaning”. It also questioned why the party wasn’t given a hearing over the decision, or served a show-cause notice.
“Was a meeting of NDA allies called to discuss the matter? On what basis was this decision taken?”
The party also hit out at the BJP for entering into opportunistic alliances with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir and the JD(U) in Bihar.
“Why was no consent sought from all the NDA allies when you decided to form government with anti-national and pro-Pakistani leader Mehmooba Mufti in Kashmir? Was any consent sought when it was decided to form government with Modi-basher Nitish Kumar in Bihar?”
The alliance between the Sena and the BJP turned sour earlier this month after the latter didn’t accede to the former’s demand for the chief ministerial chair in Maharashtra for half the term. The Sena is now in talks with the NCP and the Congress to form government in Maharashtra.
Also read: Sena-Congress ‘friendship’ goes back 50 yrs — a story of helping each other grow in Mumbai