Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar took a dig at Sena and said, "Who rules the jungle, whether tiger or lion, depends on the nature of forests."
Senior BJP leader and Maharashtra Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar called on Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday in a bid to bring thaw in the frosty relations between the saffron siblings, ahead of the expansion of state cabinet which is round the corner.
Though Mungantiwar stated that Thackeray and BJP are willing to settle old disputes and renew their relationship, the Sena chief said his party will continue to criticise the government's policies which it thinks are not in interest of the people.
"I met Uddhav ji mainly to invite him for our saplings plantation drive that will take place tomorrow as part of the Forest Day programme. He has graciously decided to be a part of this drive," Mungantiwar said after calling on Thackeray at his residence in suburban Bandra. He said they held some political discussions in which Thackeray "is of the view that the enmity between both the parties should be made a thing of the past and the relations should be renewed once again".
Sena, the junior partner in the BJP-led NDA government, has launched a string of sharp attacks on BJP and its leadership through its party mouthpiece 'Saamana', inviting sharp rebuke from BJP. The frequent wrangling between the saffron siblings often lead to speculation that the alliance is tottering on brink.
Life-size replica of tiger as a gift
Mungantiwar also gifted Thackeray a life-size replica of a tiger, as a symbol of the state government's initiative for tiger conservation. Tiger is the emblem of Sena, founded by late Bal Thackeray. However, taking a dig at Sena, he said, "Who rules the jungle, whether tiger or lion, depends on the nature of forests."
Recently, Sena had published an image in which a tiger was seen attacking a lion, seemed as a reference to BJP's much-touted "Make in India" programme which was proposed and launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Thackeray said on Thursday that "the end to the dispute (between Sena and BJP) depends on the leadership of both the parties. Sena will continue to criticise those policies of government which it feels are not in public interest".
The Sena chief also stressed the need for conservation of tigers. "However, this (gifting of the tiger replica by Mungantiwar) should not be linked to politics," Thackeray said.
However, on the tiger's replica presented to Thackeray, a BJP leader, "the gift serves two purposes. While tiger is a symbol of the government's agenda of tiger conservation, we also wanted to send a message across on who is the real tiger in Maharashtra now."
In 2014 Assembly elections, BJP won 122 seats while Sena 63 in the 288-member House. Moreover, Sena ceded the ground in Mumbai and Thane, its home turf, to BJP.
Expansion of state cabinet
Meanwhile, speaking on the much-awaited expansion of state cabinet, Mungantiwar said the exercise would take place before July 10 when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis leaves for Russia tour. While confirming that Sena would be the part of the expansion, he said the related intricacies would be decided by Fadnavis and Thackeray.
When contacted, a Sena leader said Thackeray is likely to propose induction of Dr Sujit Minchekar from Kolhapur who belongs to Scheduled Caste, and Pratap Chikhalikar, a Maratha, from Nanded in the cabinet expansion. "Uddhav ji wants a balance between Marathwada and western Maharashtra region in the cabinet," he said.
While Chikhalikar represents Loha constituency in Nanded of Marathwada, Minchekar Hatkanagale constituency of Kolhapur district.
Fadnavis had confirmed on Wednesday that the cabinet expansion will take place before he leaves for Russia on July 10 on a 7-day tour. The CM is supposed to host a tea party for the legislators on the eve of monsoon session of state legislature that commences on July 18.
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