BJP recommends confidence-building measures to Shiv Sena

NEW DELHI: The BJP has asked the Shiv Sena to take some confidence building measures, including voting for the NDA candidate Najma Heptulla in the Vice Presidential election on Friday, if it wanted to mend ties with the main opposition party.

Shiv Sena supremo Bal Thackeray could send another goodwill gesture by personally ringing up BJP stalwart and NDA chairman Atal Bihari Vajpayee to renew the ties with its oldest ideological ally, a senior BJP leader, who declined to be identified, said.

He said such confidence building measures would only help retrieve the situation for the Shiv Sena given the fact that the BJP has been really upset over its siding with Pratibha Patil in the Presidential poll.

This was because the decision has come as a proverbial last straw for the BJP, which has been unhappy with the Thackarey led party for indulging in several not so friendly acts including repeated statements favouring NCP supremo Sharad Pawar for Prime Ministership.

The leader said that the Shiv Sena-BJP ties were 'at a breaking point' and it was for the Sena to take steps to avoid snapping of the two-decade old alliance which has once ruled Maharashtra for five long years.

The Shiv Sena had earlier threw the ball in the BJP's court on the issue of ties with Party Executive President Uddhav Thackarey saying his party "always considers the BJP as our friend" and has "no problem" with the NDA.