After months of bickering between Shiv Sena-BJP, Devendra Fadnavis claims alliance based on ‘commitment to similar ideology’

Nagpur: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the alliance between the BJP and the Shiv Sena is based on their commitment to a similar ideology. Fadnavis said this is “New India” which is “full of nationalism”. This is not the “Old India” which could not take a firm stand on the issue of national security, he said, addressing a joint gathering of Sena-BJP workers in Nagpur. [caption id=“attachment_5282291” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. PTI[/caption] The BJP chief minister said the Opposition cannot compete with the saffron alliance on the issue of development. “I feel the way BJP-Sena alliance has prepared itself, I am confident our alliance will cross the 42-seat mark this time (out of the total 48) in the state. “The country’s atmosphere is different now, on one side is development, but what is much dearer to BJP-Shiv Sena workers is India and nationalism,” he said. “We are the people who believe in country first,” said Fadnavis. Fadnavis said earlier governments only condemned terror attacks and approached world bodies like the United Nations with their grievances. He said Pakistan and its terror outfits thought this government (the BJP-led NDA), too, will be the same, but “this is not Old India but New India filled with nationalism”. This ‘New India’, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave the armed forces full liberty to take revenge for terror attacks and give a befitting reply, Fadnavis said. “However, I feel sad when some people ask for proof from the armed forces. On one hand, they ask for proof from the armed forces and on the other they refer terrorist Masood Azhar as ‘Azharji’. “I know these people would never get elected, but I fear if by any chance they come into power tomorrow they will change history. “They will call Aurangzeb as `Auranzebji’, Afzal Khan as `Afzal Khan ji and General Dyer as General Dyer ji,” Fadnavis said, in a sharp attack on the Congress. Hitting out at Opposition parties, he said they have no sense of national prestige and are only interested in politics of power. “They can go to any extent for power,” said Fadnavis. He said the alliance of the BJP-Shiv-Sena is “an alliance of ideology”. “We are Hindutva (parties) and are proud of it. Hindutva is not a limited concept so whosoever, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, has nationalism in him is part of this Hindutva. “This is the thread that binds the Sena and the BJP together,” said Fadnavis.