Shiv Sena ran away with others although its marriage was arranged with BJP: Danve on MVA government

Raosaheb Danve. File Pic

Union minister and BJP leader Raosaheb Danve on Sunday hit out at the Shiv Sena, saying that although its marriage was arranged with the BJP, the Uddhav Thackeray-led party "cheated and ran away with others".

He was referring to the Shiv Sena's act of joining hands with the NCP and the Congress after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government headed by Thackeray. The Shiv Sena, which was one of the oldest allies of the BJP, had forged the unlikely alliance with the two parties after parting ways with the BJP over the issue of sharing the chief minister's post.

Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Danve said, "Shiv Sena left us (BJP) for the chief minister's post. We did not leave it. It is up to the people to decide whether they have run away from the BJP or not. The marriage was arranged with us, but they ran away with others."

Slamming CM Thackeray, the Minister of State for Railways said, "People of Maharashtra had voted for BJP-Sena (in 2019 Assembly polls), but you rebelled and left us for power and went with Congress and NCP. You became the chief minister...these are good days for you, but your rule has brought bad days for the 12 crore people of the state."

Criticising Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut, Danve said the BJP would rip the Sena apart in the upcoming elections.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed that the election schedule for the civic polls in Maharashtra be announced in two weeks, even as the state government had earlier said that polls would be held after the political quota for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) was approved.

Referring to it, Danve said, "The Union government does not have the responsibility to submit the empirical data (of the OBCs. It is the responsibility of the state government to do so."

He said the OBC leaders in the MVA government are just "showpieces" as they "wield no influence and nobody listens to them".

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