india

Updated: Jul 26, 2020 00:48 IST

The Shiv Sena on Monday took a double swipe at the BJP and Maharashtra Governor BS Koshyari over the process of government formation while picking up the issue of rain-affected farmers in the state.

The BJP and Shiv Sena, who fought the state elections together in October, had a bitter falling out over the issue of a rotational chief minister. The Sena has been saying that there was an in-principle agreement over the issue but the BJP maintains that no such promise was made.

As the Sena hit out at former ally Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana and said the Centre shouldn’t indulge in vindictive politics and target farmers for not voting for them, it also criticised Governor Koshyari.

“We request the Centre not to take revenge on farmers as the people didn’t bring a BJP government in the state,” the Saamana editorial said.

It then referred to the Maharashtra governor as ‘raja’ (king), the editorial said he didn’t allow the government formation in Maharashtra and added that farmers had a lot of expectations from him but didn’t get enough.

The Shiv Sena had demanded Rs 25,000 per hectare relief for farmers from the Centre.

The financial aid, as announced by Koshyari on Saturday, works out to approximately Rs 8,000 per hectare up to two hectares for agricultural kharif crops and relief of Rs 18,000 per hectare up to two hectares for horticulture or perennial crops, officials said.

It also responded to a tweet by former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday on “maintaining honour and pride”.

“Now the ones with 105 [BJP MLAs] are talking to us about mortgaging our self-respect. Even though the farmers are suffering, they haven’t lost pride. And it’s with this power, pride and blessings of farmers that we [Sena] are fighting with Delhi (central government),” the editorial said.

The Sena also took a jibe at the national party and said that though “the BJP talks with caution nowadays but its way of walking (actions) has become dangerous.”

The rift between the former allies widened further on Sunday, the seventh death anniversary of Bal Thackeray as their leaders avoided coming face-to-face during an event organised to pay tribute to the Sena founder.

Sena workers even raised slogans against Devendra Fadnavis, who came to visit the memorial at Shivaji Park.