BJP trying to patch-up with Thackeray: Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari

Senior Shiv Sena leader Kishore Tiwari on Friday said that the state Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party is frantically trying to patch up with CM Uddhav Thackeray. Furthermore, the BJP is willing to concede to all demands of Sena.

The Shiv Sena was the BJP's ally for over two decades until they allied with the Nationalist Congress Party and Congress to head the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in the state.

"Every two weeks or so, the BJP leaders call up the CM, requesting to bury the past and start afresh. In fact, people like Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis, even want me to mediate between the Sena-BJP and hammer out an understanding between the two parties," Tiwari said.

Over the past six months, Fadnavis and other BJP leaders have been seeking appointments with Thackeray to clinch a settlement comprising Thackeray remaining CM for full five years with their support, with choice of ministries and smoothening all other irritants, he said.

However, the CM turned it down. Last June, Thackeray even turned down all of BJP's overtures offer publically. "I have given my word to the NCP-Congress and will not betray them," Thackeray had said.

Shiv Sena leaders, including Thackeray, have accused the BJP of "treachery and breaking its promise of equal power-share arrangement," referring to the promises made ahead of Lok Sabha elections in February 2019. The BJP went back on their promise and called Thackeray a lier later. Subsequently, the MVA government took power in November 2019.

Tiwari further claimed that BJP leaders from New Delhi woke up Thackeray at 3 am in November 2019 and begged to forgive, forget and start on a clean slate. Failing to convince him, the BJP resorted to wrecking the brand-new MVA with Fadnavis becoming CM of a two-man government in an unprecedented dawn ceremony at Raj Bhavan.

"It was only the determination of the NCP President Sharad Pawar, Sena MP Sanjay Raut and other Congress leaders that the bloodless coup on democracy was exposed... Fadnavis' so-called second-term lasted barely 80 hours," Tiwari recalled. The BJP then tried to target the CM and his family personally and attempted to drag them into the Sushant Rajput death case, he said.

"Till date, the BJP is constantly harassing the MVA, misusing central agencies, filing fake cases against Sena, NCP leaders or ministers and their families, not sparing even ex-BJP leaders who joined MVA...All these gimmicks are intended to force a break-up of the 3-party alliance," Tiwari declared.