Oppn boycotts CM's tea party, BJP keeps away from media meet

Mumbai, July 15 (UNI) The Shiv Sena and the BJP boycotted the customary tea meeting hosted by the Chief Minister this evening on the occasion of the Monsoon session of the state legislature.

The BJP, however, refrained from attending the press conference convened by Leader of Opposition in Legislative Assembly Ramdas Kadam, giving rise to speculations about cracks further widening between the two parties.

This was the first time in the history of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance, since they contested the assembly elections together in 1990, that no BJP leader was present for press conference organised on the eve of the session.

The reason given by the Shiv Sena was that BJP leaders were busy in a meeting with their senior leader Sushma Swaraj. The BJP office, where the meeting was organised, is, however, just a stone's throw away from Mr Kadam's the residence.

Talking to reporters, Mr Kadam maintained that the alliance between the two parties is intact. But, when his attention was drawn to a statement by senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde that the BJP ''had'' an alliance with Sena, Mr Kadam quipped, ''You may ask this question to Mr Munde.'' Mr Kadam distributed copies of the statement jointly signed by BJP Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Council Pandurang Phundkar, BJP group leader in Assembly Eknath Khadse, Sena leader Madhukarrao Sarpotdar and Mr Kadam himself, saying that the two parties are boycotting the tea meeting against the backdrop of farmers suicides, law and order situation, and the controversy of the Wakf board in which allegations have been made against the brother of the Chief Minister.

Asked when the leaders of the two parties had last met to discuss this memorandum, Mr Kadam said, ''We held discussions over the telephone.'' The relations between the Shiv Sena and BJP, the two 'natural allies', had soured since the former decided to support Pratibha Patil in the Presidential election, ignoring the NDA-supported nominee Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.

UNI