Atmosphere such that state issues can be discussed later: Shiv Sena’s dig at Amit Shah’s Article 370 pitch

The Shiv Sena’s criticism, through the party mouthpiece Saamna, continues even as the two saffron allies are engaged in a discussion to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for the Assembly polls.

A day after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah made the abrogation of Article 370 a key issue in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly elections, its ally, the Shiv Sena, mocked him, saying that this means other issues such as agriculture, education, industries and health in the state have been resolved.

Home Minister Amit Shah speaks during a rally in Mumbai, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2019. (PTI)

Sena said that the upcoming polls are a “mere formality” as Shah, who is also the Union home minister, has already “anointed” Devendra Fadnavis as the next chief minister of the state.

The Sena’s criticism, through the party mouthpiece Saamna, continues even as the two saffron allies are engaged in a discussion to arrive at a seat-sharing agreement for the Assembly polls.

“There is a certain amount of intoxication in national issues. Other issues seem smaller in comparison. The current atmosphere is such that the issues in the state can be discussed later. Shah has given a certificate that chief minister Fadnavis has led the state forward in investment, agriculture, education, industries, health sectors, and announced in Mumbai that he [Fadnavis] will be the next chief minister as well. Therefore the state Assembly elections are a mere formality. The people have to just press the button, what else?” it said in an editorial in Saamana.

The BJP has decided that it will fight the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra as a referendum on the Centre’s decision to scrap Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, Shah said on Sunday. “This is the first election after the decision on 370. I want people in Maharashtra to decide whom they want to support. They should show the parties opposing our decision their place,” said Shah at an election rally in Mumbai. He also affirmed that Devendra Fadnavis will again be the CM candidate.

The Sena said BJP state president Chandrakant Patil has claimed that Fadnavis has solved all issues of Maharashtra. “Patil has confidently said all issues have been resolved under the leadership of Devendra Fadnavis. There are no pending issues. No party has ever shown such confidence... The BJP has this confidence, and we are happy for it,” the editorial said. It added that if the issues of people are resolved than the [BJP-Sena] alliance will get over 250 seats in the election.

The editorial said Fadnavis has announced he will return as the next CM of the state. “This means that he has spoken to the high command and has been given a word on it,” it said. The CM’s post has been a contentious issue between the saffron parties, with Sena seeking the post for 2.5 years as part of the “equal sharing of posts and responsibilities”.

The BJP reacted to the Sena barbs, asking its ally why the Kashmir decision can’t be an election issue.

“Why can’t Article 370 be an election issue? It is not just a party’s issue, it is our country’s issue. At the same time, we have been talking about other issues. We recently carried out Mahajanadesh Yatra, where we shared what our government has done over the past five years and also spoke about what we plan to do in the future,” said Keshav Upadhye, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson.