Why did Fadnavis take oath secretly, asks Sena

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena criticised Union home minister Amit Shah over his remarks that there was no talks behind closed doors on sharing the chief minister’s (CM) post with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party.

Taunting Shah for his remark that he does everything in broad daylight, an editorial in mouthpiece Saamana stated that even the Sena believed in the same philosophy.

“The Shiv Sena openly joined hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form a government. However, we would like to know how come [former Maharashtra CM] Devendra Fadnavis took oath secretly in the morning if the party believed in doing things in broad daylight?” it read.

After fighting polls together, the Sena broke ties with BJP in 2019, as the latter refused to share the top post with the its long-term ally.

On Sunday, Shah had refuted reports that he had promised to share the post of CM with the Sena for an equal term. “They [Sena] said I had promised them [that both parties would share the post] in a closed-door meeting at Matoshree. I never do anything behind [closed] doors. Everything is done in daylight,”

said Shah. He also questioned Thackeray for keeping quiet over the issue while campaigning for the Assembly polls, when it was openly said at different platforms that Fadnavis would occupy the top post.

The editorial also read that instead of making misleading claims, Shah should concentrate on the Uttarakhand glacier disaster and farmers’ agitation. The mouthpiece also alleged that all attempts were being made to topple the state government, but they did not succeed.

It also took a jibe at Shah for saying BJP would have finished the Sena. The editorial said those who wished the Sena’s end have themselves vanished from the political scene.

Meanwhile, BJP asked the Sena to introspect.

“The Sena fought the polls in alliance with us and then formed government with the Congress and NCP – the same parties they had attacked. They need to introspect instead of blaming us,” said BJP spokesperson Bhalchandra Shirsat.