BJP's sole agenda is to expand using govt machinery: Sanjay Raut

CM Fadnavis has said that Shiv Sena should decide whether or not to continue the alliance with BJP. What is your take?

It is the statement by Fadnavis in his capacity as the Chief Minister and not as the BJP leader. I must tell you here that BJP was solely responsible for lack of pre-poll alliance with Shiv Sena in the 2014 assembly polls. Sena should not be blamed for the same. There was Modi wave and BJP broke alliance for few seats.
BJP should know that Shiv Sena continued alliance for 25 years especially when no party was ready to ally with BJP. Sena could have ditched BJP then but we did not take a call in this regard in the larger interest.

Despite in power, Sena keeps attacking the BJP and the government in general. Why are you sticking in?

It is amply clear that BJP's agenda is to expand party through excessive use of government network. In our view, the agenda should be to run the government to resolve grievances of the people and spur the growth.
Clashes take place when BJP continues to use government machinery for party's growth and not to address issues. Shiv Sena never brought politics in the cabinet. During the 1995-99 Shiv Sena-BJP rule, our party gave every opportunity for BJP to grow and never attempted to scuttle them.

Fadnavis and BJP in general, have asked Sena not to play a double game.

We are sitting in the government to take a stand on issues of common man. There is inflation, there is rise in unemployment, agriculture is in a sorry state and farmers' suicides are only going up. Are we not supposed to take up these issues? Loan waiver was demanded by both BJP and Sena before elections. It is surprising that the CM now states there will be anarchy after loan waiver is announced.

Besides, the much debated Mumbai Nagpur super express was never part of poll announcement but taken up thereafter. Therefore, Shiv Sena stood with the villagers who were demanding due compensation for the land to be acquired for the project.

When we raise these issues BJP faces embarrassment. If opposition is quiet on these issues, Sena cannot remain silent. Our sole objective is giving justice to the common man.

Is Shiv Sena threatened by BJP's expansionist move. Will Modi wave come to BJP's rescue again?

Efforts were made in the past by Congress and Communist parties to finish Shiv Sena but they never succeeded. Instead, Shiv Sena grew thereafter.
I have already told you there was Modi wave in 2014 but it has faded now.

Is Shiv Sena ready to go solo in the coming elections?

I must recall that Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray in his speech on January 26 had clearly said that party will chart its growth plan alone. Thereafter, Sena did not strike alliance with BJP in various elections held in the state.