BJP should take allies into confidence: Sena on Parliament session strategy

NEW DELHI: The Monsoon session of Parliament will be a stormy affair and the BJP should take allies into confidence to chalk out a "strong" strategy to counter Opposition attack on a range of issues, the Shiv Sena today said.

Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said although there is an all-party meeting on July 20, no separate meeting of NDA allies have been called.

"Since it is going to be a stormy affair, the strategy should be strong to counter it," Raut told.

Asked whether any meeting of the NDA been called, he replied in the negative.

"There has been no consultation with constituent parties. We are only aware of an all-party meeting convened on July 20 on the eve of the session. If the BJP takes allies into confidence we will give suggestions. This session is definitely going to be stormy," he said.

The monsoon session, which begins on July 21, is expected to witness aggression from the Opposition over range of issues including the Lalit Modi and Vyapam controversies. The Opposition has already threatened to stall the session if Union ministers Sushma Swaraj and Smriti Irani and Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh chief ministers Vasundhara Raje and Shivraj Singh Chouhan are not sacked.

Asked about the Shiv Sena's view on Opposition's demand for resignations of the senior BJP leaders in the Union cabinet and at the state, Raut said the party had "no view" over it.

"The BJP has majority and they are capable to face the situation," he said.

The Shiv Sena is the oldest and largest constituent of the NDA with 18 MPs in the Lok Sabha. However, it has had an uneasy relationship over the past one year. The BJP broke its more than two and half decades old alliance with the Sena just ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly polls in October last year.

Although, both the parties patched up after the polls, Shiv Sena continues to remain disgruntled and attacks the government on various issues in the state through its mouthpiece Saamna.

Last week, BJP national president Amit Shah asked the cadre to work hard to bring the party to power on its own, further straining the relationship between the two parties. This was also a subtle message to the Sena that it could go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls. This also evoked sharp response from Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.