NDA partners want more seats, Sena for LS-Assembly election at one go
The setback BJP suffered in its bastions of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan in the recent Assembly polls has come handy for its NDA allies, which could now compel the saffron outfit to be “generous” in seat sharing for the next year’s Lok Sabha polls.
Amid reports that the Shiv Sena wants to contest half of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra and force the BJP to agree to hold simultaneous State Assembly polls, senior Akali Dal leader Naresh Gujral has asked the BJP to “quickly settle” with allies or it will be in a big trouble in the 2019 general election.
“I don’t see any single political party getting over 200 seats in the next election. So whoever makes the right pre-poll coalition is going to be the winner,” Gujral said during a discussion on NDTV.
“So it’s very important that the BJP quickly settles with existing allies, especially the Shiv Sena, deal with them with generosity and at the same time reach out to parties who were a part of the (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee rainbow coalition at one stage, so that you have a strong pre-poll coalition in place before 2019,” he said.
Asking the BJP to do a course correction vis a vis its approach towards the Muslim voters, Gujral said, “”The minorities want security. If you don’t provide them security, they will vote en masse with the Congress and allies. Unless we recognise factors like economic factors and especially rural distress, we are in for trouble.”
Another long-time BJP ally, the Shiv Sena on Thursday continued its tirade against senior ally BJP, saying its rout in the just held State polls was the “defeat of injustice and lies”.
It said along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah, and party workers had called for a “Congress-free” country.
“However, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi has beaten them in their own turf. This is the defeat of injustice and lies. Pride has been captured and ego crushed,” the Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
“Our culture is that along with one’s loss, a win should also be accepted humbly, however, this culture was destroyed after the Lok Sabha election of 2014,” it said in sarcastic remarks.
Despite its repeated assertion that it will go alone in the Lok Sabha polls, there are reports that Sena would negotiate with the BJP now from the point of “strength” and ask for half of the 48 LS seats. The Sena is also expected to mount pressure on the BJP to hold simultaneous Assembly polls in Maharashtra so that the BJP could not dump it after the LS polls in a repeat of 2014. The Maharashtra Assembly polls were held in October 2014 and the BJP had contested it alone.
“Those who built the party were ousted. Friends, who did not give up in bad times, were termed enemies. People, who lifted you up from dust, themselves are in ruins today. They (BJP) could not register a win in a single state because the country doesn’t need industrialists,” the Sena said.
In a vitriolic attack on Modi, it said the Prime Minister held dozens of rallies in every (poll-bound) State and mercilessly attacked Rahul, not taking care about the “lows” one could go to while holding the constitutional post.
There is ego even in Modi’s “humble” acceptance of defeat as he did not congratulate Rahul over the win, and the BJP’s loss should be attributed to him as his entire Council of Ministers was roped-in for campaigning, said the Sena, an ally of the BJP at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
It said Rahul has humbly accepted his win and acknowledged the contribution of BJP Chief Ministers. However, Modi is not willing to accept the contribution of (former Prime Ministers and late Congress leaders) Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi or Rajiv Gandhi in building the nation.
“He is not even willing to accept that (veteran leader) LK Advani has built the BJP,” the Sena said.
“Why did Rahul survive this storm? Why did democracy survive despite so many bruises? The answer lies in humbleness. The election results are a lesson. But, is there a will to learn lessons?” the Sena asked.
The Sena had Wednesday also took a swipe at the BJP over its poll drubbing, saying people have brought “those flying in the air back to the ground”.
