Exclusive Interview of PM Narendra Modi to Rishi Darda, The Shiv Sena, the oldest ally of the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), surprised everyone by parting ways after years of being together. BJP claimed it had made all efforts to salvage the alliance but was forced to call it off because the Sena refused to allot more seats to smaller parties in the Maha Yuti alliance. Now in a exclusive interview with the joint managing director and editorial director of Lokmat Media Group Rishi Darda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a wide range of important topics including the all important BJP Shiv Sena split which shook the landscape of Maharashtra politics.
Speaking about his equation with the Thackeray family and Balasaheb in particular PM Modi claimed that his party is taking the legacy of late Shiv Sena supremo forward. Modi said, "I have great respect for Balasaheb Thackeray and we are the ones working to take his legacy forward. He is one of the most important and influential leaders in the history of our country. Throughout his life, Balasaheb stood for politics that furthered national interest and was against appeasement politics. I have also maintained decorum and dignity with every member of Balasaheb's family, irrespective of the political dynamics. But as an admirer of Balasaheb, I am pained by certain things. Today, it pains every admirer of Balasaheb, including me, to see the actions of those who claim to be torchbearers of his legacy. Mumbai and its people were so close to Balasaheb's heart. What would he have felt if he would have seen these people using those convicted in Mumbai bomb blasts for their campaigning? What would he have felt about these people allying with those who openly say they want to destroy Sanatan Dharma? What would Balasaheb have felt looking at these people aligning with those who celebrate Aurangzeb and abuse Savarkar. Can anyone claim to be upholding the legacy of Balasaheb after doing such things? Balasaheb always put principles above power. But now, it seems, power is everything for these people."
The rocky relationship between both the saffron parties saw several ups and downs in the past. It was the Hindutva ideology they shared which apparently kept them together.With 56 seats, Shiv Sena emerged as the second largest party after BJP which won 105 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly. Together the parties had won a clear majority. Shiv Sena decided to dig its heels deep demanding the CM post as per a “50-50 formula of rotational Chief Minister” which it claimed was agreed upon ahead of the Lok Sabha election 2019. The BJP rejected their being any such deal between Uddhav Thackeray and Amit Shah.In January 2018, Shiv Sena had declared that it was breaking all ties with the BJP and will contest the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and Maharashtra Assembly elections. It was the second time in four years when fissures appeared in Sena-BJP alliance and both the parties decided to go their own way.However, the parties buried their hatchets to come together for the general elections which saw the BJP returning to power in the Centre with a bigger mandate than 2014. Shiv Sena was offered 24 seats by the BJP, four more than previous elections.In 2014 too, both the parties contested Maharashtra polls separately. The BJP had then formed the government on the basis of being the single largest party with 122 seats. The Shiv Sena, which had then won 63 seats, joined the government a month later.