Mumbai
Updated : Nov 28, 2014, 05:30 AM IST
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in Mumbai on Thursday that PWD minister Chandrakantdada Patil and Union petroleum minister Dharmendra Pradhan would hold talks with Shiv Sena leaders on Friday on including Sena members in the state cabinet. The CM was speaking on the sidelines of a function.
Sena is now the principal opposition in the assembly. He had discussed the issue with Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, the CM said.
Fadnavis, who heads a minority government, was recently (almost) put on notice by NCP chief Sharad Pawar, whose party has been offering his government outside support.
However, Sena leaders are apprehensive. Despite the overtures, BJP had done little to include it in the Maharashtra government, it says.
After the two parties had failed to come to an understanding on cabinet formation, Sena had decided to sit in the opposition and accepted the post of the leader of opposition (Thane MLA Eknath Shinde) in the legislative assembly. It had also cried hoarse over the manner in which the Fadnavis government had managed to get the vote of confidence approved. Sena and BJP leaders are also locked in a bitter war of words over issues like relief to drought affected farmers.
"It's for Uddhavji to decide on joining the state cabinet. We will go by his decision," said a Sena MLA.
Sena leaders and activists admit in private that BJP is looking to isolate it politically and take over its social and political base.
Meanwhile, according to BJP ministers, a final decision on joining hands with Sena would be taken by prime minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah.
The alliance fell apart just before the assembly polls over issues of seat and power sharing, and the campaign saw Uddhav going hammer and tongs against the former ally, even accusing it of being the cohorts of Adilshahi general Afzal Khan.
"The vacillation by party leadership over relations with BJP has led to confusion in the rank and file who can't understand whether they must oppose the state government or praise it. Once it was clear that BJP was not willing to take us along, it would have made sense for us to play the role of an effective opposition. This would have helped us politically," claimed a former Sena MLA. He also said BJP would most likely to call for snap polls in case the government faced trouble.
Despite the estrangement, Sena is part of the Modi government at the centre.
Sena team meets governor
A Sena delegation led by Uddhav Thackeray met governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao to seek relief measures for drought-affected areas. Sena wants all eight districts of Marathawada declared drought-affected, students' tuition fees waived, loan recovery discontinued, and relief of Rs10,000 per acre to farmers hit by drought. The governor has announced that he would visit the drought-affected areas and hold discussion on the situation with the chief minister.