by Harish Gupta, National Editor, Lokmat Group
special report
BJP's sermon to Top leaders: Don't attack Thackerays
BJP Sole custodian of Hindutva Now
Harish Gupta
New Delhi, Nov. 14
The BJP high command has issued strict instructions to all its Central leaders including spokespersons and ministers not to criticise Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray or his son and others personally.
The BJP leadership took this decision after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Working president J P Nadda held an informal meeting before the PM emplaned for BRICS meet. It was decided that Amit Shah will speak on the subject and present BJP's point of view through TV channels. Amit Shah was very guarded in his comments and nowhere he hit out at Sena for duplicity, expediency or personally attacked Thackerays when took the mike yesterday. The BJP's break-up is disheartening and discouraging as Sena was its oldest and ideologically closest ally and difficult to digest.
The trio decided that the developing situation be watched with an arms length and “let Sena-NCP-Congress prepare their eatable Khichdi and run the government as they wish to.” They decided to wait for the “Silver Line” in the next couple of months.
The BJP is extremely upset that it is losing a big state like Maharashtra after winning it and NCP leader Sharad Pawar played his cards very well by forcing Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi to change her strategy to support the die-hard ideological opponent to accept Sena's CM. The Maharashtra BJP is in a state of shock and Central Leadership is now hoping against hope for a “wind-fall gain.”
The hardliners in the BJP are excited about taking over the sole mantle of Hindutva with the departure of Sena.
They say its prime vote bank is confined to Thane-Konkan belt where BJP can work hard to make inroads in the months to come.
The BJP leadership also wants to see how Sena will carry out its own Hindutva agenda for which it was born and followed strident aggressive Hindutva policy with Congress and Sena.
Sena was at the forefront of the Ram temple agitation and even claimed its role in demolition of the structure.
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