Uddhav Thackeray will meet Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to talk about the future of the alliance government in Maharashtra. Talking to The Sunday Guardian, Thackeray refuted speculative reports that the Shiv Sena ministers would resign from the Maharashtra government before the municipal corporation and zilla parishad polls of 21 February. “I don’t know who gave this date. I don’t know what is so auspicious or inauspicious about 18 February or 21 February,” he said. The meeting is likely to be held after the last week of February.
Meanwhile, Fadnavis has expressed confidence that his government will complete the five-year term without any glitches. Nationalist Congress Party leader Sharad Pawar had said that if the Sena withdrew from government, it would not support BJP.
Talking on the matter, Uddhav Thackeray said, “Whatever decision we take tomorrow, I don’t want anyone to say that we broke the alliance without talking to them, without putting forth our issues. That is why we will hold a meeting.”
The ongoing election campaigning has seen bitter face-offs between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. Both the parties have targeted each other for being “corrupt”, “criminalised” and “nontransparent” in functioning. The war of words only escalated after Devendra Fadnavis compared Mumbai with Patna.
Recently, the Shiv Sena carried a scathing editorial against the BJP, mocking at the condition of the CM’s home constituency of Nagpur. On its part, the BJP has also upped its ante against Shiv Sena. Earlier, Uddhav Thackeray and Devendra Fadnavis were believed to be close friends, to an extent that both of them had pushed for an alliance despite unwillingness from the cadre of both the parties. But that bond also seems severed now.
Asked if Uddhav Thackeray would meet the BJP leadership soon after the results are declared on 23 February, he refused. “For a few days after that, we will celebrate (victory over Mumbai municipal corporation). We will meet them thereafter,” he said.
Sources within the party said that the meeting is likely to take place after the last week of February. The agenda of the meeting will be transparency in governance and loan waiver to Maharashtra’s farmers. “Just like there is transparency in the standing committee of the BMC, I want transparency in the state Cabinet. If they think that the standing committee isn’t transparent enough, we are willing to bring about the necessary changes. But are they willing to make the state Cabinet transparent?” Uddhav Thackeray asked. He demanded that the state Cabinet meeting should be witnessed by leaders of the opposition and by a few members of the media. “Not just that, the file notings made by the secretaries should be made public. They should be put on a website. Are they ready to do that?” he asked.
Apart from that, he has also demanded complete loan waiver for the farmers of Maharashtra. “Even if they fulfil this one condition, I am willing to give them support throughout the term,” he said.
Meanwhile, highly placed sources within Shiv Sena told The Sunday Guardian that Uddhav Thackeray was likely to visit Uttar Pradesh briefly after 26 February, to campaign for his party during the last phases of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. Asked about it, Thackeray said, “I don’t want to commit anything right now. It is true that I want to go to Uttar Pradesh.” Shiv Sena has fielded over 60 candidates in UP. “Our agenda in UP will be Hindutva, nationalism and addressing the unemployment issue. Massive unemployment of youth has taken place in Uttar Pradesh due to demonetisation,” Thackeray told this correspondent.
Since last year, Shiv Sena has started expanding base in north India. It had fielded candidates in the recently conducted Punjab elections too. The party’s position is that it wants to consolidate the Hindu votebank for itself. “At present, we are the only party in the country to fight on the agenda of Hindutva. The BJP has long given it up. There is a sizeable population in the country which will vote for Hindutva. We want to tap into that,” a party leader said.