Sena threatens to pull out, Fadnavis calls it 'natak company'

 War of words intensified between the BJP and Shiv Sena on the eve of the first anniversary of the Devendra Fadnavis government in Maharashtra on Friday.

While Sena chief threatened to pull out of the government, Chief Minister Fadnavis described his alliance partner as a “natak company”. The friction intensified between the two allies in the government with one Sena minister offering to resign on Friday citing false cases by the BJP-led government against the Shiv Sainiks.

Intense mud-slinging has ben witnessed ahead of Sunday’s civic polls at Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation in Thane district.

At a rally addressed by  Thackeray, state Public Works Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the Guardian Minister of Thane district, offered to resign.

“False cases are being made against Shiv Sainiks and they are resorting to ‘tadipar’ (externment) of our workers,” Shinde, an MLA from Kopri-Panchpakhadi, said while publicly offering to resign from the government.

Thackeray said he respects his sentiments but rejected his resignation. “They are resorting to externment of our workers, but let me tell you, we will not hesitate in the externment of the BJP,” Thackeray said amid a thunderous applause, indicating the Sena would withdraw support if the BJP does not mend ways.

In another rally, Fadnavis, who also holds the home portfolio, said the minister is resorting to theatrics to grab attention—and mocked the Sena as a “natak company”.

“One of the minister says about the BJP’s gundagardi and the police’s terrorism....let me tell you, there has not been a single incident to support this,” the chief minister said. The Sena has been leading charges over a series of protests in the recent past and hasn’t even spared Prime Minister Narendra Modi.