File photo of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray.
The wrangling over the chief minister's post in Maharashtra is clearly not over between saffron allies the BJP and Shiv Sena.
On Saturday evening, while speaking in Nanded, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray created a stir by saying, "I want a Shiv Sena government here in Maharashtra. I have no dreams of becoming chief minister. You are showing faith in me because I am Balasaheb Thackeray's son. I can see the problems that you face and the Shiv Sena is the solution for it."
But by this morning, he refused to further comment on the issue when asked for a clarification. Senior Party leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut however reiterated the party's stand. "The chief minister of Maharashtra will be from the Shiv Sena and the government will function according to Uddhav Thackeray's directions," he said.
Meanwhile, the BJP, which in on an upswing post the emphatic victory under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi, now wants to stake claim to the chief minister's post while the Sena wants to remain the senior partner in the state.
Looking to move ahead of ally BJP, a Shiv Sena leader added, "They are focusing on seats while we are focusing on schemes."
The Sena has been unveiling numerous schemes that it wants to implement. Last week alone, Uddhav himself unveiled two initiatives of his party that will become a policy if it comes to power.
On Sunday, he unveiled the party's tele-medicine policy which will be called Shiv Arogya Seva. When questioned if the party would continue with the Congress-NCP government's similar policy, he said, "I am not interested in changing names of schemes already in place. I am interested only in changing the government. And this scheme is a scheme that we have come up with which we will implement."
Earlier this week, the party also announced an initiative which plans to make students of Class 8 to 10 use SD cards instead of carrying heavy books and bags to school. Called E-Prabodhan, under this policy, the entire syllabus will be loaded on to an SD card and students will be given tablets to go through lessons. The entire syllabus will also be loaded onto pen drives for students of Class 1 to 10 and they will move to e-learning through a TV or projector. While announcing the policy, Uddhav said, "We will not give TVs, Fridge and ACs. We will give you the power to buy these things yourself."
The BJP meanwhile played down the differences over seat sharing and the chief minister's post. Party spokesperson Sambit Patra told NDTV, "Shiv Sena is a very old ally and a very valued one. Our president has made it very clear that it's not the time to talk about this. All these things will be discussed later when the time comes."
On September 4, BJP President Amit Shah had met Uddhav at his residence. But the meeting came only after Mr Shah made a last-minute change of plan to accommodate Mr Thackeray in his Mumbai itinerary. It took a phone call from Uddhav to break the ice after the allies seemed to be on a collision course over seats and the chief minister's post.