BJP in crosshairs, Uddhav calls on Mamata

Mamata Banerjee with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai 

TNN| Nov 3, 2017, Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee interacted with Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at a Mumbai hotel on Thursday, fuelling speculation about an emerging equation between their two parties when both have been acting aggressive against BJP. Thackeray's son Aditya too was present in the meeting.

While the Sena chief described the interaction as a "courtesy meet", the West Bengal chief minister lauded Sena for taking on BJP over its "bad deeds". "They have done good by coming out against the bad deeds of BJP," Banerjee said after the meeting.

The development comes nearly a year after MPs from Sena, a BJP ally, accompanied the Trinamool chief on a protest march against demonetisation to Rashtrapati Bhavan while Congress and Left had stayed away from the event. Thackeray had then talked to Banerjee over phone and asked his party MPs to take part in the protest march, prompting Union home minister Rajnath Singh to call the Sena chief the day after in a bid to assuage his feelings.

Relations between BJP and its oldest ally Shiv Sena have gone through several highs and lows over many months but it has never been what it was earlier.

A booklet, 'Ghotalebaj (scamster) BJP', accusing senior BJP leaders in Maharashtra of corruption, has gained currency in Sena circles.

With Sena leaders likely to step up their ante against BJP on corruption, the issue may come handy to the Trinanmool chief to make out a case against Narendra Modi's party in Bengal when many Trinamool leaders are facing interrogation by central investigating agencies over their alleged role in Ponzi scams — Saradha and Narada.

Banerjee thus took time out of her busy schedule with business honchos in Mumbai to meet the Sena chief and cultivate the chink in NDA's armour . Her making forays into the NDA family comes days within BJP leaders toying with the idea of inducting former Trinamool MP and once-party number 2 Mukul Roy ahead of rural polls in Bengal.

In a tit-for-tat, BJP national secretary Kailash Vijarvargiya went all out against Banerjee and her government on quite a few fronts — from muzzling democracy in Bengal to the state trying to suppress the dengue fallout.

In a public meeting held in South 24-Pargana's Canning, Vijayvargiya broached the Roy issue in public for the first time on Thursday.

"Mamata Banerjee became chief minister based on a strong organisation built by Mukul Roy. She dumps those who had come to her support," the BJP leader said. Vijayvargiya warned the ruling Trinamool of having to face public ire if it continued with "intimidation".

"Politics has no room for violence. There are 12 crore BJP members. Just imagine if each of them picks up a stone against the ruling Trinamool in a tit for tat, where will this government go?" he said.

(Shared by Kalimpong News: Source & Courtesy:  https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/kolkata/bjp-in-crosshairs-uddhav-calls-on-mamata/articleshow/61474631.cms)