He taught ‘self-respect’: Fadnavis lauds Bal Thackeray amid fight with Sena

PTI, Nov 17, 2019, 2:40 PM IST

Mumbai: Amid worsening ties with all-weather ally Shiv Sena, Maharashtra caretaker chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis praised Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and called him a source of inspiration.

Sharing a video of a speech by Thackeray on Twitter, Fadnavis wrote he taught people the value of ”self-respect”. “Hundreds of salutations to Hindu Hriday Samrat Bal Thackeray on his death anniversary,” Fadnavis tweeted in Marathi.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena skipped a meeting of NDA constituents on the eve of the winter session of Parliament.

The Shiv Sena- BJP alliance strained after they failed to agree to a power-sharing deal to form a government in the state.

After the pre-poll alliance fell, Sena is now trying to stitch an alliance with ideological rivals, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress to form a government.

The three parties have been holding talks over the past weeks trying to chalk out a common minimum programme (CMP).

Sanjay Raut of the Sena said all the parties have reached a consensus on the CMP. NCP’s chief Pawar has also shown optimism over party formation, saying that the alliance will soon give a strong and stable government to Maharashtra and it will complete its five-year term.

A meeting with Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi was scheduled for Sunday but got postponed. It is likely to happen on Monday.

Meanwhile, Pawar will hold a meeting with his party’s core committee on Sunday to discuss the political scenario in the state. The meet will take place in Pune.

On October 24, the declared result of Maharashtra Assembly polls announced BJP as the single-largest party, with 105 seats. In the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly, while Sena secured 56, Congress and NCP won 44 and 54 seats respectively.

Last week, President’s rule was imposed on the recommendation of the Governor BS Koshiyari after not a single party was able to prove numbers for government formation.