After a “favourable” judgement by the Supreme Court last week pertaining to their political status and jurisdiction, the leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Monday met to develop a bonhomie to confront the BJP on all issues including the forthcoming sessions of Parliament as well the next year Lok Sabha elections.
Both the Arvind Kejriwal led AAP and Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena UBT are in talks separately with other non-BJP parties including JDU’s Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and overall the Congress. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray accompanied by party colleague and a Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi called on Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal at his Civil Lines residence in the national Capital.
Thackeray also met Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and newly elected Jalandhar MP Sushil Kumar Rinku. The Shiv Sena also complimented AAP leaders for being recognised as a national party by the election commission recently, sources said.
While several political connotations are being talked about this altogether in a different and separate meeting of the two political entities, sources in AAP said after the Karnataka Assembly elections, the Opposition parties have realised that Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be shaken in 2024 if they are united.
Kejriwal took to Twitter and posted pictures of his meeting with Thackeray. "I got an opportunity to host Aaditya Thackeray at my residence today. I held a detailed conversation with him on the current political developments", the AAP national convenor tweeted.
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi and AAP MP Sanjay Singh were also present in the meeting along with Aditya Thackeray.
Earlier on Saturday evening, Thackeray attended the ring ceremony of AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chaddha and actor Parineeti Chopra at Kapurthala house in the national capital where Kejriwal was also present where the meeting was first decided.
According to sources, the meeting lasted over an hour and the discussions revolved around BJP’s hate politics, their misuse of Central probing agencies and the trend observed now decimation of BJP in maximum number of States.
The meeting of Kejriwal and Shiv Sena UBT leader Thackeray can also be a part of this episode. It is also believed that Shiv Sena can do something big by taking the Aam Aadmi Party together in UBT Maharashtra.
Recently, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of the Kejriwal government that services will be under the state government in Delhi.
On the same day,the top court ruled that it cannot restore the Uddhav Thackeray government as Thackeray had resigned on his own, has come as immediate relief to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
For Uddhav Thackeray, the Supreme Court decision contained a morale booster as it heavily criticised the Governor’s conduct in the political battle. The bench said that the Governor’s decision to order a floor test for the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government as well as his decision to appoint the whip nominated by the Shinde group were wrong.
Kejriwal had supported the Uddhav Thackeray when Eknath Shinde faction got separated from the Shiv Sena and claimed the party and its symbol. In February this year, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and his Punjab counterpart Bhagwant Mann had met Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray at his Mumbai residence ‘Matoshree’. Rajya Sabha MPs Sanjay Singh and Raghav Chadha were also present.
The meeting came days after the Election Commission allotted the ‘Shiv Sena’ name and ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to the faction headed by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar along with his deputy Tejaswi Yadav had recently met with his counterparts in Jharkhand and Odisha to discuss opposition unity. Kumar and Yadav had also met Thackeray in Mumbai last week.
