After breakup with Sena, BJP leaders praise Balasaheb Thackeray on death anniversary

Mumbai, Nov 17: Amid the ongoing feud with its ally, Maharashtra caretaker Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday heaped praises on on the seventh death anniversary of the Sena stalwart, Bal Thackeray, saying the Shiv Sena founder taught the people the value of "self-respect".

Taking to Twitter, Fadnavis wrote in Marathi, "Salutations to our inspiration source, Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray on his death anniversary."

The tweet comes after Shiv Sena quit the BJP-led NDA over the formation of the government in Maharashtra despite a clear majority in the last month's Assembly elections. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party fell out with the BJP over the sharing of CM's post. The Shiv Sena's lone minister in the Narendra Modi government, Arvind Sawant, resigned on November 11.

Refusing to accommodate Shiv Sena's demands, the BJP stepped away from the process of forming the government in Maharashtra without the support of Uddhav's party. While submitting his resignation, Fadnavis accused the Shiv Sena of lying on the CM's post and alleged that though the two parties contested elections together, the Sena's sudden change came as a shock.

The Shiv Sena is now holding talks with opponents Congress and NCP for government formation in Maharashtra. On Sunday, the party made it clear that it will not attend a meeting of NDA constituents on the eve of the Winter Session of Parliament in Delhi. Senior Sena leader Sanjay Raut said that formal severance of ties with the NDA was now only a formality. He also said that Shiv Sena MPs in Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs will sit on opposition benches.
According to media reports, the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress have reached a consensus on a Common Minimum Programme (CMP) to form the government in the state.

The BJP and Shiv Sena, which fought the October 21 polls in an alliance, secured a comfortable majority by winning 105 and 56 seats, respectively, in the 288-member Legislative Assembly. However, the talks over the power-sharing formula couldn't materialise. The NCP and Congress, which also fought together, won 54 and 44 seats, respectively.

The state was placed under President's rule on November 12 after no party or alliance staked claim to form the government.