As talks stall, Shiv Sena says NCP is allying with BJP to protect Pawars

As its demands risk being ignored by the BJP as it seeks to form the next state government in Maharashtra, the Shiv Sena today hit out at the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) saying that the people of Maharashtra had rejected them. “The people have not only ensured the defeat of the Congress-NCP but have rubbed their faces in the dirt. But the NCP is attempting to only stand in the same photograph as the BJP. Maybe they will feature in the photo but what about the fact that they are unrecognisable because of the mud on their faces?” the editorial asked. The editorial said that those stained by the mud of corruption would always try to wash away their sins in the Ganga and the Shiv Sena’s only desire was that the river should not be polluted over and over again. “We have always maintained our stand on the issue. Others have to take their own decisions,” the editorial said in a thinly veiled reference to the BJP. [caption id=“attachment_1766545” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Will Uddhav Thackeray give in to the BJP? AFP image[/caption] The editorial comes even as the talks between the Shiv Sena and BJP are said to have reached a stalemate over the number of ministries that should be given to the regional partner. Reports vary on the demands of the Shiv Sena, but the BJP has shown little indication that it will accept them and has even been indicating that it isn’t averse to forming a minority government after accepting the NCP’s offer of support from the outside. The editorial said that till recently NCP leader Sharad Pawar had mocked the BJP and RSS about being a party of ‘half-chaddiwalas’ but now seemed to be in love with them. “Does this offer mean that Pawar- (Praful) Patel bought a new half-chaddi for themselves or have they taken a scissor to their pants and made them half chaddis?” the editorial asked. The Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece said that an insult of the Sangh Parivar was an insult of Hindutva and that the NCP’s only objective behind supporting the BJP was to suppress the allegations of corruption against them as BJP leaders like Vinod Tawde had promised to open probes into cases of corruption against NCP leaders during their campaign. “Given this (the BJP’s promise of taking action against the NCP) it is clear to see why Praful Patel is lying prostate before the rising sun,” the editorial said. It also pointed out that the BJP’s star campaigner Narendra Modi had strongly criticised the Pawars during his campaign in the state. The newspaper alleged that Praful Patel may have an idea of having a separate state of Vidarbha and the BJP also has many legislators from the region, but it cautioned that it also had elected representatives from the region who would never let the separate state be formed.