Thackeray's meeting with Pawar shows Sena's frustration: BJP

The BJP today termed Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray's recent meeting with NCP chief Sharad Pawar an "act of frustration".

Pawar today revealed that Thackeray and Sena MP Sanjay Raut had met him last week and that they did not seem to be satisfied with the BJP-led government in Maharashtra.

Senior BJP leader and chief spokesperson of the party's state unit Madhav Bhandari said the meeting between Thackeray and Pawar was an act of "frustration".

"It also indicates that how low a person can stoop to out of frustration," he told PTI.

While Thackeray had threatened to pull out of the BJP-led government multiple times in the past, his meeting with Pawar has caused a flutter in the state's political circles.
 

Pawar himself, however, clarified that Thackeray and Raut did not say whether they were going to pull out of the government.

The veteran politician added that it did not matter to his party even if the Sena pulled out of the government.

"Our stance is clear. We (NCP) are not going to help anyone in this process," Pawar told reporters at Karjat in Raigad district on the concluding day of a brainstorming session of the NCP.

Bhandari further said that Thackeray's meetings with Pawar and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in Mumbai recently were an indication of the "changing times".

"There was a time when the Thackerays used to insist on prominent national leaders visiting their residence, irrespective of issues. Now, Uddhav is secretly knocking the doors of Mamata Banerjee and Sharad Pawar. It shows that the time has changed," he said.

Asked about the possible cause behind the Sena's grouse against his party, Bhandari said the BJP always treated its alliance partner well.

"We waited for the Shiv Sena, which took three months to join the alliance government in Maharashtra after the results of the 2014 polls were declared. We gave them ministerial portfolios and we treated them with the respect they deserved. I do not think that we are being unfair to the Sena," Bhandari said.