Maintaining that the Nitish Kumar Government was surviving on “oxygen” being provided by the BJP and could land in “Intensive Care Unit” (ICU) in the event of its ally pulling the plug, the Shiv Sena on Thursday advised the JD(U) against walking out of the NDA.
“The anxiety of the Akali Dal Government in Punjab is understandable. The Government there is surviving on the BJP’s support. The moment the BJP pulls the plug, the Badal Government will be on a ventilator. likewise, the Nitish Kumar Government is surviving on oxygen being provided by the BJP,” the Sena said.
In an editorial published in its official mouth-piece Saamana, the Sena stated, “Sabse bada rupaiya...Sabse badi satta is the dictum of current times. At a time when there is adequate oxygen supply to survive in power, why should anyone create problems for oneself and get admitted to the ICUIJ Be it Nitish Kumar or anyone else. That being the case, one should not cross one’s limit”.
Reminding the JD(U) about the Maharajganj lok Sabha bypoll outcome which “established” that the Hindu votes were as decisive as the Muslim votes, the Shiv Sena elaborated, “Give respect and earn respect. like the Muslim votes, Hindu votes can also prove to be decisive and this was amply demonstrated in the Maharajganj lok Sabha bypoll”.
The Sena’s comment should be seen against the backdrop of the news reports suggesting that the BJP workers did not actively work for the JD(U) nominee PK Shahi in the recent Maharajganj lok Sabha by-election leading to his defeat, despite a high-profile campaigning carried out for him by Nitish Kumar..
Alluding to lK Advani’s resignation from all party posts, the Shiv Sena said that when he put in his papers, the veteran leader knew that today’s politics was more about “pragmatism and practicality than idealism”.
“The Congress has been maintaining that it is still strong despite TMC and DMK having quit the UPA. But, when Advani resigned, the Congress went to town, saying that an earthquake has rocked the Bharatiya Janata Party and the NDA is heading for disintegration. But what the Congress did not realise is the fact that Advani had resigned from all posts in BJP but not as chairman of NDA,” the Sena editorial stated.
lambasting the Congress for trying to derive political capital out of the developments within the BJP after Advani’s resignation, the Shiv Sena said, “Making the most of the situation arising out of lK Advani’s resignation, the Congress said that the BJP’s stock had eroded and its moral values had taken a severe dent…. But the fact remains that it is the Congress which is responsible for weakening of moral values in politics”.