‘Shiv Sainiks want party to quit government’

Amidst growing unrest in the party, pressure is building on the Shiv Sena leadership to pull out of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government. The Sena leadership has given a three-month notice to the state government to resolve the matter of continuous fires in the Deonar dumping ground and it is part of the Sena’s strategy to develop a background to withdraw from the government, a Sena legislator claimed.

The senior legislator said, “We want to pull out of this government. We have given them three month’s notice for the Deonar dumping ground fire issue.” Another senior Sena office bearer, however, said that even though the party wants to withdraw support, it has no immediate intention of doing so in view the expansion of the state Cabinet scheduled to carried out next month by the chief minister.

The voices of unrest in the party have begun to be aired as Sena president Uddhav Thackeray has begun meeting of divisional party leaders to listen local issues and gauge the mood in the party. Sources said party leaders from North Maharashtra division would meet at Nashik on April 24.

According to the Sena legislator, his party would quit from BJP government before the 2019 Assembly poll. “There is unrest across the state against ruling BJP-Shiv Sena government and we do not want to remain a part of the government which is raising emotional issues like chanting of slogan ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and not development issues”.

He said, “The situation is worst in Marathwada which is facing acute shortage of drinking water.” Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and his party leaders are diverting the attention from drought and development by raising emotional issues, he said.

Sena leaders are demanding withdrawal of support from the BJP and focus on farmers’ issues instead. “We fear that if we remain in power with the BJP, people will not allow to enter Sena leaders in their villages at the time of election,” the legislator claimed.

Mr Thackeray has decided to meet party leaders and shakha pramukhs at division level across the state and the North Maharashtra meeting will be held at April 24. All legislators and other leaders are expected to attend the meeting.

According to sources, Mr Thackeray is likely to ask party workers to work independently and inform people about the failure of BJP.

The party’s media advisor Harshal Pradhan confirmed the Nashik meeting and said that Marathwada, Vidarbha and Konkan region meeting would be held in upcoming months after Nashik.

Mr Pradhan said, “Resolving problems of farmers and other people are the top priorities of Shiv Sena.” He also admitted that Shiv Sainiks want to break away from the BJP-led government. However, he denied possibilities of withdrawing support from the state government.