New ad closes rift chapter, says state BJP boss

Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis. File pic

Shiv Sena (Shinde) went into damage control mode a day after uproar by the alliance partner and harsh criticism from the Opposition over the media campaign that projected Eknath Shinde as the most preferred choice for the chief minister's post next year. The Shiv Sena did some damage control by running another publicity campaign on Wednesday, apparently to appease the BJP.

Following the Sena's ‘U' turn, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule said the matter was closed. "The comparison was uncalled for. Whether it was inadvertent or advertent, this kind of actions that create a rift in the alliance should be avoided. Both Shinde and Fadnavis are large hearted. If Shinde was mean, he wouldn't have corrected the mistake. It was expected, and since it has been done, it would be good for both parties and alliance," said the president, drawing the curtains on the issue.

On Tuesday, Fadnavis had a closed door meeting with Shinde and Sena ministers after which Sena spokesperson Deepak Kesarkar had said that the mistake, if any, would be corrected the next day. It was decided at the meeting to stick together instead of blowing the matter out of proportion. Wednesday's print work was in tune with the agreement that was reached between the upset BJP and scurrying Sena.

Chandrashekhar Bawankule, state BJP president (centre), said whether it was inadvertent or advertent, such actions that create a rift in the alliance should be avoided. File pic/ Sayyed Sameer Abedi

After Fadnavis cancelled a trip to Kolhapur for the CM's official programme on Tuesday, he skipped one more in Mumbai on Wednesday on health grounds. The skipping of CM's events was linked with the disenchantment in the BJP's rank and file, but multiple sources, including the Sena ministers and Fadnavis staff, confirmed the Dy CM's ear specialist has barred him from attending public programmes where noise levels are high.

Opposition speak

However, the Opposition, the UBT Sena in particular, did not spare its rival faction. Thackeray Sena's spokesperson Sanjay Raut attributed the corrective action to the ‘bamboo' (an earful) Fadnavis had given to the Shinde Sena on Tuesday. "Where has Shinde gone from Maharashtra? (referring to Tuesday's campaign tagline Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra, and the revised header that appeared on Wednesday). The corrections were made after Fadnavis had done a bamboo (given stick to the Shinde Sena)," asked Raut.

"Let me tell you ‘jo bund se gayi wo haud se nahi aati' (whatever is lost once cannot be retrieved). All is not well (between the Shinde and BJP camps). This government will go in the next two months because the Speaker will have to disqualify the MLAs as instructed by the Supreme Court," the MP said.

Raut also questioned the Shinde Sena's claim that a party's well-wisher had published the controversial advertisement on Tuesday, apparently without the knowledge of the high command. "Who are these well-wishers? Well-wishers don't do such things. The 40-MLA party has turned Fadnavis, the leader of 105 MLAs, into a rag," he said.

Nationalist Congress Party working president Supriya Sule wanted to trace CM Shinde's well-wisher who had crores of rupees to spend on a media blitzkrieg. "Who is this well-wisher? Crores of rupees are needed to publish such advertisements. Also, who did the survey and what was its size?" she asked, quipping that Wednesday's revised art design might have come from New Delhi.

The revised campaign

Based on the same survey which was quoted on Tuesday, the new advertisement said 49.3 per cent people wanted the united leadership of Shinde and Fadnavis. Apparently, it was an aggregate of the individual figures that were published on Tuesday while comparing the two leaders, with the Dy CM trailing behind the CM by three points.

It further said 46.4 per cent people wanted the BJP-Sena alliance government again in the state. It featured all the missing elements of Tuesday's campaign. It carried Fadnavis' picture, slightly taller than Shinde - both waving to the people. It also featured the Sena's nine ministers. The Sena corrected a major mistake that has invited hard hitting reactions from the rival Sena faction and other opposition parties.

The new campaign carried the Sena founder, late Balasaheb Thackeray, and Shinde's mentor Anand Dighe's pictures, along with images of PM Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah, who is de facto in-charge of the BJP's affairs in Maharashtra. Tuesday's advertisement featured only two persons - Modi and Shinde. Today, the BJP's election symbol Lotus shared space with the Sena's bow and arrow.

The content seemed to be carefully picked unlike the previous artwork. The text stressed on the development work-related survey findings such as 84 per cent people's preference for PM Modi's leadership and 62 per cent favourable to the ‘double engine' sarkar because it had propelled development.

"Because of PM Modi's support and guidance in the past one year, the state has made fast progress. The state is leading in basic infrastructure, education, health care and industry because of the leadership of CM Shinde and Dy CM Fadnavis and strong alliance of the Sena and BJP. The people are satisfied with the government's performance. People have preferred the alliance, because they see a dream state that they wished for, shaping up," said the campaign further.