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'A Friend Has Done What an Enemy Wouldn't.'
That's what the BJP has been thinking of the Shiv Sena lately. After Shiv Sena supremo Uddhav Thackeray's fresh attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it is shocking how they have kept their alliance intact at the state or at the Centre.
Uddhav thackeray recently said: "Prime Minister, the scam involving Fasal Beema Yojana is bigger than Rafale".
Such a grave accusation from an ally only means that the bridge between the BJP and Sena has almost collapsed.
This is the most scathing attack by Shiv Sena supremo Thackeray and his commander Sanjay Raut on the Modi government. But the bigger surprise is, how is the Shiv Sena still in alliance with the ruling NDA?
Uddhav Thackeray, while visiting the drought-hit areas of Maharashtra's Marathwada, told farmers that the "Fasal Beema Yojana is a scam", which means the prime minister is to blame. Thackeray even quoted from a book to prove his point. What is to be noted here is that PM Modi, addressing farmers' rallies, has always boasted of his government's 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana', the same policy that Thackeray called a scam.
Thackeray referred to senior journalist P Sainath's book which claims that in only one district of Maharashtra, as a premium under the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana', Reliance Insurance got Rs 173 crore. But when the crops were destroyed in the drought, the insurance company gave only Rs 30 crore to the farmers. Which means, without investing a single penny, the insurance company gained profits worth Rs 143 crore.
The Modi government launched the 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Beema Yojana' in 2015 to provide assistance to farmers in case crops are destroyed due to natural calamities, pests or any disease.
Allegations of a Scam in Response to Amit Shah's Attack
It appears that Uddhav Thackeray directly attacked PM Modi in response to Amit Shah's veiled attack on the Shiv Sena when he said that the BJP will thrash its former allies in the upcoming polls. The tussle between BJP and Shiv Sena is now out in the open.
So far, they would indirectly attack each other through social media or their publications. But a direct, all-out attack on PM Modi only means that Shiv Sena is looking for an excuse to end its alliance with BJP ahead of the2019 Lok Sabha polls. Is Shiv Sena prepared to fight BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls?
However, it is true that Shiv Sena's politics is currently working on the belief that 'if I'm right I'm right, if I'm wrong, I'm right'. They have launched an all-out attack but in the last four-and-a-half years, they have also been in alliance with BJP in Maharashtra as well as the Centre.
It is also true that the Shiv Sena, which also propagates Hindutva politics, won't find another alternative to BJP as an ally. What is most important is that despite the tussle, will BJP and Shiv Sena fight Lok Sabha and Assembly polls together?
(This story was originally published on Quint Hindi)
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