BJP, Sena hold closed-door meeting to de-escalate tension over ad

Shiv Sena and BJP hold closed-door meeting to resolve tension caused by controversial advertisement projecting Shiv Sena's Eknath Shinde as more popular than BJP's Devendra Fadnavis. Shinde and Fadnavis put up a show of unity at a government function, but BJP workers put up posters projecting Fadnavis as mightier than any other leader in the state. Shinde's camp issues a new advertisement with more faces and correct survey figures, but BJP supporters remain dismayed. Shinde's camp remains firm and says that corrective steps need to be taken ahead of the polls.

MUMBAI: In an attempt to de-escalate the tension created by the Shiv Sena’s controversial advertisement on Tuesday—which projected the Sena’s chief minister Eknath Shinde as more popular than the BJP’s deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis—the warring sides held a closed-door meeting on Thursday evening, where they decided to draw the curtain on the issue.

Palghar, June 15 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and state Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis wave to the people during an event, in Palghar on Thursday. (ANI Photo) (ANI Pic Service)

At the meet between Shinde, Fadnavis and Shinde’s MP son Shrikant Shinde, Fadnavis reportedly expressed his dismay about the ad while Shrikant complained to him about local BJP leaders’ claim on his Kalyan Lok Sabha seat.

The advertisement was reportedly the handiwork of Shrikant, who was deeply hurt because BJP leaders from Thane had staked a claim to his constituency.

Shrikant, who was in Delhi on Wednesday, reportedly tried to meet union minister Amit Shah to explain his side. “However, the BJP refused to condone his action, as the issue of a mere Lok Sabha constituency would have proved damaging to the alliance,” said a senior BJP leader. “The central leadership directed the CM and DCM to resolve the issue at the state level.”

Before the meeting, Shinde and Fadnavis had already put up a belaboured and somewhat cheesy show of unity when they shared a dais for the first time since the controversy over the ad exploded. The duo travelled together in a helicopter and attended a government function at Palghar on Thursday. Fadnavis had earlier skipped two official events to avoid sharing a dais with Shinde but on Thursday, both lavished praise on each other and declared that their alliance was strong and unaffected by recent events.

“Ours is a Fevicol ka jod that is unbreakable forever,” said Shinde in his speech. “Nobody can separate us, no matter how hard they try.” Fadnavis echoed his words. “We have been together for the last 25 years, and the alliance has become stronger in the last one year,” he declared. “It is not a weak alliance that can be shattered by one ad or comment (by leaders of the alliance). We have formed the government under the leadership of Shinde saheb to work in the interest of people from all factions of society.”

The Shinde camp, in its amend-making efforts, had issued another advertisement in select Marathi papers on Wednesday, correcting the survey figures of the original ad which showed Shinde as more popular than Fadnavis. The new ad also had more faces in it—apart from Fadnavis, there were prime minister Narendra Modi, union home minister Amit Shah, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Shiv Sena leader Anand Dighe.

The revised ad, however, did not quite pacify Fadnavis’ supporters. State BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule said that the first ad had hurt the sentiments of Fadnavis supporters while BJP MP Anil Bonde, in a public statement in Vidarbha, likened Shinde to a frog. “A frog cannot become an elephant, no matter how much air you pump into it,” he said.

The bickering intensified further on Thursday when BJP workers put up posters outside their office in Nariman Point and elsewhere in the city, projecting Fadnavis as mightier than any other leader in the state. The poster at Nariman Point, put up by state vice-president Pawan Tripathi, cited a poem by former prime minister A B Vajpayee, to denote that the leadership of the state was in the strong hands of Fadnavis.

Another poster in Thane reminded the Shinde camp of its inferior strength. “You are just 50 MLAs while our strength is a powerful 105. It is our broad mindedness… Fadnavis, the name says it all,” the poster put up by party leader Kapil Adsul stated.

Despite the BJP offensive, the Shinde camp has decided not to indulge in anything that could weaken their joint ground ahead of the polls. A Shinde camp leader said that state leaders from both parties had already been informed that the ruling alliance was not in a position to retain even the existing number of LS seats, and needed to take corrective steps.

A senior leader from the Shinde camp said that the original advertisement had hurt the BJP more than they expected it to. “We took corrective steps,” he said. “However, the ad was an attempt to show that our leader and our party will not be suppressed, and we remain totally firm on this.”