Mumbai: Ties between the BJP and its ally, the Shiv Sena have been akin to those of a warring couple. Not a day passes without their respective leaders trading trenchant barbs. So it made for a pleasant surprise on Tuesday, when they traded ’til gul’ at the weekly cabinet meeting.
At the very outset of the meeting, Chandrakant Patil, the minister for environment and forests, offered ’til gul’ to Ramdas Kadam, Shiv Sena minister for revenue. “Til gul ghya ani goad goad bola,” Patil advised Kadam. Kadam responded equally sweetly, “I promise, at least for today, I will not fight.” His words spread immediate cheer in the cabinet and for a change, the meeting was conducted without a fight or a heated exchange of words.