Shiv Sena strikes discordant note

Party chief asks BJP to clear stand on NCP support in Maharashtra

A furious Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray asked the BJP to clarify its stand on the offer of support by the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), plunging Maharashtra into a political crisis on a day of hectic political developments

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Thackeray also said the Shiv Sena would not hesitate to sit in the Opposition benches.
Earlier in the day, the Shiv Sena boycotted the swearing-in ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's expanded council of ministers, and withdrew Anil Desai, who was being offered a Minister of State rank.

The party also took objection to the induction of Suresh Prabhu into the Cabinet.
The development came on the eve of a three-day special session of the Maharashtra Legislature, during which the new MLAs would be sworn in, the Speaker would be elected and the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government would face the floor test.

“We are in no hurry to join the government. If they keep insulting and slighting us, why should we support them? We can work for the people irrespective of whether we are part of the government or outside,” declared Thackeray after Shiv Sena MLAs elected Eknath Shinde as the new leader of their legislature party.

Thackeray said: “It was Sharad Pawar who spoke of saffron terrorism. It was Sharad Pawar who pulled down the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. It was an MLA from the NCP who visited the home of Ishrat Jehan. Do they want support of the NCP? They need to clarify on this issue. There are no compulsions on us, nor are we hankering for power. If the BJP takes the NCP's support, we shall sit in the opposition and vote against the government. We shall not tolerate any more humiliation.”