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Uddhav Thackeray to clarify on ties with ally BJP during Shiv Sena's Dusshera rally

Uddhav will address the rally to be held on the Shivaji Park ground in Dadar. Sena sources said he would lay down the line for party leaders on the stance to be taken vis-à-vis the BJP.

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Days after an internecine war of words between the Shiv Sena and BJP, Sena president Uddhav Thackeray may break his silence on the deteriorating ties with its ruling ally at the party's annual Dusshera rally on Thursday.

Uddhav will address the rally to be held on the Shivaji Park ground in Dadar. Sena sources said he would lay down the line for party leaders on the stance to be taken vis-à-vis the BJP.

Insiders admitted that the party, which has crossed swords with the BJP over its opposition to sporting and cultural ties with Pakistan, is caught in a cleft. It is unable to reconcile itself to the "humiliation" of losing the dominant position it held for two-and-a-half decades in the saffron alliance to the BJP but is unwilling to walk out of power.

Sena sources said Uddhav, who could not disown the utterances of his party hawks, namely Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut against the BJP, while staying in the government, would have to do a balancing act. The Sena hopes to enjoy power while also occupying the opposition, anti-establishment space by its frequent attacks on the BJP. It also hopes to throw up inconsistencies in the BJP's stance on Hindutva and Pakistan and consolidate itself in the hardline Hindu constituency.

"The moot question is do we want to stay in the government or not. If we want to quit power, then this strategy is good. We can raise the pitch and exit the government at a flashpoint. However, this may also lead to desertions from the ranks. It is a catch-22 situation," admitted a Sena leader.

The Sena source pointed to how the vitriol spewed by Raut, executive editor of party organ Saamna, had struck a chord in a section of the cadre. These leaders feels that the Sena, which enjoys pre-eminence on the streets of Mumbai, thanks to its use of raw muscle power, was shedding its aggressive, macho image in favour of a sophisticated one to appeal to the youth and emerging, upwardly mobile middle class.

"Uddhav can't afford to disown agitations by his party cadre, neither can he afford to get carried away. He will have to strike a balance. He may not pull out of the government on his own, except perhaps when push comes to shove before the 2017 BMC polls (where the two parties are likely to fight on their own)," the Sena leader added.

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