The unease within the alliance

The relations between BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena have been tricky. Both Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis keep asserting their authority in the government. Things have become further complicated with Ajit joining the government

It’s been 16 months since the Eknath Shinde-led government was formed and four months since it was fortified with the inclusion of Ajit Pawar and his NCP faction but the unease within the ruling alliance continues. The three parties are yet to get used to the idea of working together.

HT Image

The relations between BJP and Shinde-led Shiv Sena have been tricky. Both Shinde and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis keep asserting their authority in the government. Things have become further complicated with Ajit joining the government. Ajit and Shinde have made no secret of their dislike for each other. As Shinde made a surprise visit to Jalna to get Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange-Patil to withdraw his hunger strike, Ajit chose not to accompany him, as he did like the way the chief minister handled the issue. The deputy chief minister has also been skipping events related to BJP’s ideological parent, RSS.

Earlier this week, BJP leader Mohit Kamboj taunted Ajit that one needs 145 MLAs to become chief minister, not 45, though he deleted the post later. Earlier, another BJP leader Gopinath Padalkar had ridiculed Ajit following which Ajit faction leaders had launched an attack on Padalkar.

The constant bickerings may also have something to do with the ambitions of the three top leaders of the alliance: Shinde wants to return as chief minister after next assembly elections, Fadnavis wants to get one more chance as CM while Ajit wants to finally make it to the top. The contest could become intense with each passing week.

Now, father versus son?

The coming Lok Sabha elections may put some relations to the test. On Saturday, Shiv Sena (UBT) indicated that Amol Kirtikar would be fielded from Mumbai North West constituency, which is currently represented by his father Gajanan Kirtikar who is now with Shinde-led Shiv Sena. If senior Kirtikar chooses to contest, it could be a father versus son contest. This is the third constituency where relatives could be pitted against each other. In Raver constituency in Jalgaon district, senior NCP leader Eknath Khadse is being fielded by the party where his daughter-in-law Raksha Khadse is sitting BJP MP. In Baramati, NCP (Ajit faction) is considering fielding Ajit Pawar’s wife Sunetra opposite her sister-in-law, current MP and Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule.

Shivaji’s sword

The move of the alliance government to get the wagh nakhe or tiger claws apparently used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj has reminded many of the announcements made by several politicians to get the king’s sword, known as Bhavani Talwar, back from a museum in London. For several years, politicians kept making announcements that the Bhawani Talwar would be brought back to Maharashtra but it didn’t happen.

Now, state cultural affairs minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will be going to London to get the tiger claw on loan for three years. The move is already controversial with some historians and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray seeking to know if the tiger claws being brought are the ones which were used by the Maratha king when he killed Adil Shah’s general, Afzal Khan or just any tiger claws from the Shivaji era.

Anger issues

Speaking about the Shivaji Maharaj era, the Maratha king’s descendant and BJP’s Rajya Sabha MP Udayanraje Bhonsale had to control his anger as a question was raised about his behaviour. In a press conference of union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra in Satara, a reporter asked about Bhonsle’s behaviour in public: How he dances at public functions and raises collars of his shirt. While Mishra tried to dismiss the question saying it was a personal issue of the concerned person, Bhonsle who was clearly irked with the question, kept staring angrily at the concerned mediaperson.