The soul has left the Bharatiya Janata Party-Shiv Sena alliance at the local level in Mumbai, but the body lives on. The only thing that remains undone is the announcement. With nearly eight months remaining for the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Shiv Sena and the BJP — the ruling alliance partners — are preparing to fight one another in earnest.
The prize that is driving both parties to battle one another is control of the richest municipal body in the country. BMC’s budget for 2016-17 is Rs 37,052 crore.
The attacks by the ‘allies’ have become sharper by the day. Earlier this week, BJP MP Kirit Somaiya said, “There is a scam in every BMC department. There is a Sahib who lives in Bandra; he has two advisors; one his saala (brother-in-law) and the other is Sahib's personal aide. Sahib takes orders from the duo and passes them on to the mafia.”
This was widely interpreted as an attack on Uddhav Thackeray, who lives in Bandra East.
While the Sena dismissed Somaiya's comments as frivolous, it returned fire by saying the BJP’s attempts to grab power by imposing President’s Rule in Uttarakhand was ‘Hitlerseque.’ “Power is a double-edged sword. Even Hitler’s pride collapsed and he had to kill himself,’ said the party mouthpiece Saamana. The Sena, Bal Thackeray's party, comparing the BJP leadership with Hitler was unprecedented.
BJP spokesperson Bhalchandra Shirsat said, “No official decision on the alliance has been taken so far and it will be taken only by the party high command. But in the Assembly polls we had emerged as the largest party in the city. So the BJP workers are keen to contest as many seats as possible and increase the strength of the party.”
Shiv Sena leaders refused to speak on the issue. “Let them say whatever they want. But we will take a decision at the appropriate time,” said a senior party leader on the condition of anonymity.
The two parties ruled the cash-rich civic body harmoniously for over two decades. But it all changed when BJP pipped Sena two years ago in the state Assembly polls. Sena, which had ruled the city with an iron fist, was pushed to second spot in the city. Since then the BJP has vowed that the next Mumbai mayor would be from its party.
The BJP leaders have taken Sena head on over several BMC issues by alleging corruption in water supply, desilting works, road repair works and dumping ground works. The party leaders are claiming that they would expose more scams till the civic body polls.
Sena’s efforts to push through two major policies — parking and open space — were also foiled by the BJP with the help of chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, who stayed both the policies.
Expect more fireworks in the months ahead.
