In what comes as welcome news for the BJP and Shiv Sena, Prime Minister Modi is likely to be invited for the Bhoomipoojan of Balasaheb Thackeray memorial to be held at the Mayor Bungalow at Dadar Chowpatty. It has been reported that a small ceremony to hand over the land is going to take place on January 23. Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray will share the dais. This move is being seen in the political circles as the Shiv Sena extending an olive branch to the BJP. Fadnavis government in Maharashtra has also sanctioned Rs. 100 crore for the memorial of late Balasaheb Thackrey on the plot that housed the mayor’s bungalow at Shivani Park.
Senior minister and Shiv Sena leader, Subhash Desai said, “Our dream of building a memorial of late Balasaheb Thackeray is soon going to turn into a reality. We are waiting for one permission to come through. Then, we will hold the bhoomipoojan function there. For the ceremony of handing over of land to the trust and for Ganeshpoojan, we have invited CM Fadnavis.” January 23 happens to be the birth anniversary of Balasaheb Thackeray. Shiv Sena is keen on holding a symbolic function related to the memorial on Balasaheb’s birth anniversary. A Ganeshpoojan is therefore set to be held as all the permissions are not yet in place.
On being asked if the Prime Minister has been invited for the Bhoomipoojan ceremony, a party functionary said, “It is obvious that if both of us are in power together, we will be seen on stage together.” This clearly shows that the Shiv Sena is now trying to bring things back on track as far as its alliance with the BJP is concerned. Balasaheb Thackrey’s memorial is obviously something close to the heart of the Uddhav Thackrey-led party. The party must be feeling emotionally connected to the memorial and involving the BJP in a big way in such a function gives clear indications of how the two parties are coming closer all over again.
The relations between the two parties have witnessed a downslide for quite some time now. Of late, the rift between the BJP and the Sena seemed to be widening further. It had surfaced in several media reports that there were differences within the Shiv Sena on whether to continue with the BJP or to exit the alliance. While one faction wanted the party to remain with the BJP, the other saw benefit in quitting the NDA. It seemed at that time as if the alliance between the two parties was in danger.
At such a critical juncture, BJP president Amit Shah had given a veiled ultimatum to the Shiv Sena. Earlier, BJP president Amit Shah and Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis called out to the party workers in the state, to be ready to go solo in the elections. The BJP president had also made it clear that the BJP would not comply with the unreasonable demands just for the sake of keeping an alliance intact. Amit Shah spoke as clearly as possible when it came to the party’s alliance with the Shiv Sena. He had said, “If an alliance takes place, our preparation will be helpful to our partner’s candidates. Don’t think of whether the alliance with Sena will happen or not. Prepare to fight alone.”
It is clear that Amit Shah’s ultimatum gave an indirect signal to the Shiv Sena to mend its ways. Shiv Sena seems to have understood that it is in the party’s own interest to align strongly with the BJP instead of imperiling its long-standing alliance with the BJP. The way Shiv Sena has extended an olive branch to the BJP might just put the alliance between the two parties firmly back on track.
