KALYAN: The political row over the removal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s photograph at a college in Pune by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers has now spilled into the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC), with the BJP’s local leadership leaving the final decision on whether to quit the Mahayuti alliance in the civic body to state BJP president Ravindra Chavan.The BJP’s core committee held a meeting in Kalyan on Wednesday against the backdrop of the party’s warning that it would withdraw from the alliance and sit in the Opposition if Shiv Sena (Shinde) failed to sever its alliance with the MNS and remove the party from power in the civic body.BJP deputy mayor Rahul Damle said the core committee had taken an important decision and forwarded it to Chavan for a final call. He, however, declined to disclose the details.The development follows a letter issued by BJP district president Nandu Parab on Tuesday to Shiv Sena Kalyan district chief Gopal Landge, demanding action against the MNS. The Shinde Sena has so far not officially responded to the letter.However, Shiv Sena deputy district chief Rajesh Kadam hit back at the BJP, saying the party should not lecture the Sena on coalition dharma. He pointed to the BJP’s conduct in Ambernath and Bhiwandi and questioned whether the BJP had itself followed alliance principles in those areas.The issue has also put the local alliance partners in a delicate position. Kalyan MP and Shiv Sena leader Dr Shrikant Shinde has not publicly commented on the BJP’s warning, while MNS leader Raju Patil has also maintained silence on the demand.The MNS had earlier indicated that its local-level response to the controversy was an internal matter.The BJP core committee meeting was attended by senior party leader Jagannath Patil, MLA Sulabha Gaikwad and BJP corporators, among others.While none of the committee members disclosed the decision, sources said the panel favoured asking the Shinde Sena to remove the MNS from the civic administration.The BJP is understood to have also considered sitting in the Opposition if the Sena refuses to act against the MNS. However, party leaders are now awaiting Chavan’s decision before taking any further step.The immediate question is whether the state BJP president will endorse the core committee’s decision and formally direct the local unit to withdraw from the Mahayuti arrangement in KDMC. The decision could have a direct bearing on the balance of power in the civic body.Meanwhile, Congress group leader in the KDMC took a swipe at the BJP over the ongoing alliance row, alleging that the party was merely indulging in political posturing.“The BJP is only staging a political stunt. It cannot stay away from power, and the current talk of sitting in the Opposition is nothing but a show,” she said.
