The war of words does not seem to get over between allies, BJP and Sena. In a scathing attack on the NDA government over demonetisation,
Shiv Sena, a key constituent, on Friday described it as the “worst regime in 10,000 years” and said the BJP leaders are living in fool’s paradise to think that the exercise would eradicate black money.
Referring to a report of a woman stripping off in anger in front of the RBI regional office in Delhi after failing to get some old notes exchanged, the Sena said the plight of the hapless mother looked like a “government-sponsored Nirbhaya tragedy”. “If the government cannot see and understand the suffering of this woman, then such a ruthless and deaf regime would not have been in existence in the last 10,000 years,” said an editorial in Saamna.
Training its guns on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis for supporting the demonetisation, Shiv Sena said if the CM’s stomach does not churn on seeing the woman’s plight, then he is a “helpless person”.
A few days earlier too, Uddhav Thackeray launched a verbal attack by joining the Opposition’s chorus that the party is using the Union budget for electoral gains.
Addressing the Sena cadre at a party convention in Mumbai, Thackeray slammed the Centre for being keen on unveiling the budget in February just before the Assembly polls are held in five states. The Sena chief said his party will request President Pranab Mukherjee to prevent the government from announcing the budget before the elections.
The Sena chief also indicated the alliance with the BJP for the Mumbai civic polls was difficult.
“We won’t forge an alliance out of any helplessness,” he said.