Afternoon news
Mumbai, Oct 7: The downfall of the Shiv Sena has begun.
It was confirmed yesterday after the Sena backtracked and conceded the Chimur assembly seat to its bullish alliance partner, the BJP. Old Sainiks like Narayan Rane, Chhagan Bhujbal and Ganesh Naik, who are no more with the saffron party but presently in power, spoke about the deteriorating condition of the Sena and categorically said
that the downfall of this party has started.
According to Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, "The beads are falling off the Sena-BJP alliance's mangalsutra. This is the real condition of the marriage. The Sena's future is very bleak. Uddhav Thackeray is capable of destructing the entire party. As long as this man is at the helm of affairs, the party will continue to be on the downslide. I don't want to say anything more on the Sena because my version will always be considered biased. But the reality is in front of Maharashtra, no one can deny that."
Public Works Minister Chhagan Bhujbal was a little cautious while reacting on this episode.
He said, "I am not surprised with the condition of the Shiv Sena. The party was heading towards this disaster by its own deed. I don't know whether the alliance between the Sena and BJP will continue or not because in politics anything can happen. But one thing is sure, the downfall of the Sena has started. Truly speaking, it had started a long while back. Now it has escalated. The Sena chief is also aware of the reality that is the reason why he took a backseat on the Chimur issue. In the forthcoming Mumbai and Thane civic polls, the Sena will get real heat from the voters."
Another person who smiled at the condition of the Sena is State Excise Minister Ganesh Naik. He said, "It's very sad. The party which was having command over the entire state is virtually fighting for one seat. This incident itself underscores many things. Unless the Sena and its leader change their attitude and approach towards the common Shiv Sainik, the coming days will be more difficult for the party. Let's wait and watch."