Sena stand on V-P poll key to future ties: BJP

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Wednesday lobbed the alliance ball into the Shiv Sena’s court and said its future association with the Maharashtra outfit would depend on its stand on backing Najma Heptullah as vice-president. Last week, Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray had said that it always considers the BJP as its “friend” and it has “no problems” with the NDA.

In an attempt to force a decision on the future of the alliance, Mr Thackeray said that his party would take a decision on its stand on the vice-presidential election once the BJP clarifies the Sena’s status with regard to the NDA.

Responding to Uddhav Thackeray’s statements of conditional support for Ms Heptullah, the BJP had said that it was in the process of reviewing its two-decade-long relationship with the Sena, and would not be taking a decision before August 10.

In this context, the NDA is viewing Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi’s participation in Wednesday’s NDA parliamentary party meeting as a positive sign. “Presence speaks louder than words,” NDA spokesperson Sushma Swaraj said.

Responding to questions on the Shiv Sena’s support for Ms Heptullah’s candidature, Ms Swaraj said that the Shiv Sena had not attended either Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s lunch or the NDA meeting prior to the presidential elections, despite invitations to both.

Relations between the Sena and the BJP have been rocky for nearly three years, since the disagreements over seat sharing for the Maharashtra assembly elections. Shiv Sena’s decision to support UPA candidate Pratibha Patil in the presidential polls, instead of the NDA-supported Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, has further widened the rift between the two.

The BJP has been unhappy with the Shiv Sena, especially over it repeated statements favouring NCP chief Sharad Pawar for prime ministership.

The BJP’s quarrel with the Shiv Sena is basically over its style of functioning and the manner in which the alliance is working. There seems to be a thinking within the BJP that the present state cannot continue.

There is also speculation that Congress president Sonia Gandhi’s directive to Maharashtra chief minister Vilas Rao Deshmukh to submit a status report on the Srikrishna Commission report would force the Shiv Sena to turn to its long-term ally, the BJP. Several Shiv Sena leaders and police officials have been named in the Srikrishna Commission report. The Shiv Sena’s presence at the NDA parliamentary party meeting could be an olive branch to the BJP.