A day after Leader of the Opposition Devendra Fadnavis declared that the BJP had no enmity with the Shiv Sena, only ideological differences, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut claimed on Monday that even though his party has parted ways with BJP, the friendship between the two parties remains. To explain his point, Raut cited the example of the post-divorce relationship between actor Aaamir Khan and Kiran Rao.
“Look at Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. Their paths are different but they are friends. Ditto for the BJP and Shiv Sena. Our paths are separate but friendship remains. There will be friendship in politics. But this doesn't mean that we are going to form a government in Maharashtra,” Raut said. He has thereby scoffed at rumours that the Shiv Sena will ditch its new allies the NCP and Congress and patch up with its estranged ally BJP to form the government in the state.
Raut admitted that there were differences between the BJP and Shiv Sena but they were not like India and Pakistan. “There are meetings and talks. But now our paths have diverged,” he pointed out.
After announcing recently that he and Rao had divorced after a 15-year marriage, actor Aamir Khan had said, “Our relationship has changed but we are still together.”
Raut also dismissed reports over his meeting with BJP MLA Ashish Shelar.
Fadnavis, in a reply to a query on whether there was a possibility of the two former allies coming together, once again said, an “appropriate decision” will be taken, depending on the situation.
On his recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the possibility of the BJP and Shiv Sena coming together again, Fadnavis said, “There are no ifs and buts in politics. Decisions are taken as per prevailing situations.”
