Extreme bitterness crept into the already strained relations between the ruling saffron alliance partners on Monday, as the Shiv Sena targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his disapproval of Observer Research Foundation (ORF) chairman Sudheendra Kulkarni’s face blackening and dared the ruling BJP to quit the Government if it doubted its patriotic credentials.
On a day it found itself isolated over Kulkarni’s blackening incident, the Sena launched a counter-offensive by carrying a roaring headline “Pakistan Virudh Faktha Shiv Sena” (it is just Pakistan vs Shiv Sena), dubbing Kulkarni as Ajmal Kasab in its official mouth-piece — Saamana, felicitating six Sainiks arrested in connection with Sunday’s incident, charging that Fadnavis had “failed to understand Maharashtra” and finally daring its senior alliance partner -BJP - to quit office if the latter doubted its nationalist credentials.
Ignoring the Kasab jibe hurled at him by Saamana in its editorial defending its decision to blackening his face ahead of former Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai on Sunday, Kulkarni contested the Sena’s charge that he was a Pakistani agent, by saying: “ I am certainly an agent, but not of Pakistan, but of peace between India and Pakistan in South Asia.”
That the party was unrepentant of its questionable act of smearing Kulkarni’s face with black paint as a mark of protest his decision to host the launch of Kasuri’s book in Mumbai became evident, as Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray felicitated six Sainiks whom the Antop Hill Police arrested on Sunday night in connection with the blackening incident.
The relations between the two partners hit another new low in recent years, as Shiv Sena spokesperson Sanjay Raut addressed two news conferences during the day — first one to pillory the Chief Minister for his late Sunday statement that the Sena had brought “bad name” to Maharashtra and second one to counter speculation in a section of the media that his party was planning to pull out its Ministers from the State and Central Cabinet.
Raut went for the jugular, charging that Fadnavis had — “through his act of providing security to Pakistan’s former Foreign Minister” — “insulted” the martyrs of 26/11 terror attacks on Mumbai and that the latter - “through his charge that the Sena has brought bad name to the state” - had proved that “he has not understood Maharashtra at all”.
“If one goes by his disapproval of our yesterday’s act and his statement that the Sena has brought bad name to Maharashtra, it is crystal clear that the CM has not understood Maharashtra at all. If the Shiv Sena opposed Kasuri’s book launch in Mumbai, it was in line with its patriotic ideals and nationalist outlook. Tell me how does one approve Fadnavis’ decision to ask the Mumbai police — a force that lost a brave constable Tukaram Ombale who fell to the Pakistani bullets while trying to capture Ajmal Kasab during the 26/11 attacks - to provide security to visiting Pakistani leaderIJ Through his act, the Chief Minister has insulted both martyrs of 26/11 attack and Maharashtra,” Raut said.
Demanding to know as to how the Sena had brought “bad name” to Maharashtra, Raut said: “If it is a crime to fight Pakistan, I admit that the Sena has committed the crime. Through our act, we have proved our nationalistic credentials”.
Hitting back swiftly at Raut, Maharashtra BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari debunked Raut’s “talk of nationalism”.
Talking to mediapersons here, Bhandari said: “Writing articles and giving television bytes is not the only way to express your nationalism. Yesterday our Chief Minister came in for praise for taking a stand that if anything anti-India was said at Kasuri’s book launch, action would be taken against the organisers
“Despite that Raut has chosen to criticise the Chief Minister. I can’t understand as to what was the provocation for his criticism against the CM. Repeated criticism is not welcome,” Bhandari said.
On a day when the alliance partners engaged themselves in war of nerves, the electronic media attributing the decision by the Shiv Sena and BJP to contest the Kalayan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC) polls scheduled for November 1 separately to the strains arising between them over Sunday’s incident and the BJP’s reported failure to “invite” Sena president Uddhav Thackeray to the ground-breaking ceremony of the Ambedkar memorial presided over by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the city on Friday last.
The speculation by the electronic media notwithstanding, it was known from the begin*ing — the elections to the KDMC and Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) were announced on September 28 — the Sena and BJP would contest the polls independently. Monday was the last for filing of nominations for both the polls. The Sena and BJP are contesting all the 122 seats each in KDMC and 82 seats each in KMC independently.
Rubbishing speculations in a section of media that the Shiv Sena might withdraw its support to the BJP-led Government in the State and at the Centre, Raut categorically ruled out the possibility of the Sena pulling out its Ministers from the Fadnavis Government in the State.
Addressing a second news conference in the evening, Raut demanded to know as to why the Sena should resign from the State Government or the Union Government. “Every time when there is a strain between the partners, why do you or they (the people in the Government) ask as to when our Ministers will resign from the State Government. If the BJP is so upset with our patriotism, why cannot our partners quit the Government.”