Warning the BJP that a “Mahabharat” might break out if it decided on its choice for the prime ministerial candidate without taking various National Democratic Alliance (NDA) constituents into confidence, the Shiv Sena on Thursday asked its oldest ally to take the lead in convening an NDA meeting to clear “confusion” over the nomination for the top post.
Comparing the BJP to Arjun’s chariot and various NDA allies to horses driving the chariot, the Sena said: “The BJP has right to decide on the choice of its PM... the BJP cannot exercise its choice on its own. Because, the BJP is like Arjun’s chariot that is driven by many horses. Each of these horses has its own importance. Or, a different Mahabharat may play out and the chariot’s wheels could be stuck”.
Making no bones about its displeasure over the race for the PM’s post that is on within the NDA, the Shiv Sena — in an editorial published in its party mouthpiece Saamana –stated that unlike the BJP-led coalition, the UPA presented a contrasting picture, given that coalition partners were speaking in one voice and were standing by the leadership of puppet named Manmohan.
Written against the backdrop of the growing divide between the BJP and JD(U) over the choice of Narendra Modi as prime ministerial candidate, the editorial dubbed the ongoing battle among the lK Advani, Modi and Nitish camps as a “mass marriage” where each group was trying to install its ‘groom’ for the PM’s chair.
“On one hand, those in UPA are speaking in one voice. They may have one thing in their minds and another on their lips, but as of now, all are behind Manmohan the puppet. However, in NDA, everyone is beating his own trumpet and creating cacophony. This is not a good picture,” the editorial said.
“There is a lot of confusion. There are several wannabes. There are squabbles within the NDA on the PM candidate issue. Rajnath Singh, lK Advani and Sushma Swaraj should clear the air once and for all or a meeting of the NDA be convened at the earliest to clear the confusion over the choice of the PM nominee,” the editorial said.
Coming out in defence of Modi vis-à-vis 2002 Gujarat riots, the editorial said: “Hindus did not torch the Sabarmati Express. The kar sevaks returning from Ayodhya were in the train when it was torched. This cannot be termed as coincidence. Godhra riots were a reaction to Sabarmati Express torching. Reaction could not have been different if Keshubhai (Patel) or (Shankersinh) Waghela had been the Chief Minister in place of Modi. There is no record that Modi took the responsibility for the riots and the Hindu aggression”.
However, the editorial sought to differentiate the modes of Hindutva practised by Modi and its late supremo Bal Thackeray. “late Balasaheb expressed pride over the role played by the Sainiks in the demolition of Babri Masjid and later took an unambiguous pro-Hindu stand in the post-Masjid demolition and 1992-93 Mumbai riots... It is true the Gujarat riots took place when Modi was the CM. It cannot be said clearly if Modi was behind the riots. But, like Sena chief, Modi never openly supported the Hindus”.
Taking potshots at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar for trying to corner Muslim vote by rooting for a “secular” PM, it said, “Nitish Kumar has taken a position that we are with the BJP, but not with Modi. He also wants a secular PM, someone following the Raj dharma etc. In short, due to Nitish Kumar’s arithmetic of Muslim votes, he does not want a PM who backs Hindustani ideology. This is his independent thought,” the Sena editorial stated.
In a related development, Sena MP and Saamana executive editor Sanjay Raut said that he had already requested NDA convener Sharad Yadav to call a meeting of the leaders of the various constituents of the BJP-led Opposition coalition to clear “confusion” over the choice of the prime ministerial candidate.