This is the latest chapter in the ongoing dispute between the two allies, as they have exchanged open and veiled barbs over the past few months.
Even as Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis was exhorting investors in Davos to bet on 'Magnificent Maharashtra', his ally Shiv Sena was changing tack and announcing that in the coming Assembly and Parliamentary elections, it planned to go it alone. Additionally, it elevated Aaditya Thackeray, son of Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as a party "neta" (leader), effectively inducting him into the core party fold formally. The impact of the announcement was such that Fadnavis had to issue a clarification from Davos that 'all was well with the alliance' and that his government will complete the five-year tenure. It is believed he had to do this to allay fear in the minds of prospective investors that his government was politically unstable.
This is the latest chapter in the ongoing dispute between the two allies, as they have exchanged open and veiled barbs over the past few months. Against the backdrop of these strained relations, Uddhav on Tuesday launched a no-holds-barred attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and announced his party's resolve to come to power in Maharashtra on its own strength and the agenda of Hindutva. The resolution, which was passed unanimously in the party's National Executive meet, was moved by Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who said that the BJP had been demoralising the party for the last three years and "using power to do so". The Sena also set itself an ambitious target of 150 seats in the Maharashtra Assembly and 25 in the Lok Sabha; a resolution in this regard was passed in the executive.
Accusing Modi of giving preference to his home state of Gujarat over other regions, Uddhav said this was "a government that runs on advertisements" and called on it to be pulled down. "Till now, we did not fight polls outside Maharashtra to prevent Hindu votes from being split... but this led to unwanted people dancing on our heads," said Uddhav, adding that they would henceforth contest in other states. "We will fight on the issue of Hindutva...and we will never forget Hindutva, whether we won or lose," he added.
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