Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut
Shiv Sena today came out in support of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, who is embroiled in a row over her "assistance" to Lalit Modi, and accused opposition of conspiring to destabilise the Narendra Modi government.
Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, who met Swaraj to extend his party's solidarity, later alleged that the opposition was seeking to turn a "non-issue into an issue".
"The way the External Affairs Ministry had performed under Ms Swaraj, it has become a strong pillar of the Modi government. So she is being targted to weaken the government and destabilise it," Mr Raut said, adding that the Prime Minister should see through the game.
Asked about reports about Ms Swaraj being a victim of internal politics within the BJP, Mr Raut said, he was not aware of what is happening inside that party. "As far as Shiv Sena is concerned, we have full respect for Swaraj and have complete faith in her and it will continue to be so," he said.
Shiv Sena is the second largest constituent of the BJP-led NDA government. Swaraj is known to share good relations with 'Matoshree'. Before the BJP anointed Narendra Modi as its prime ministerial candidate, the Shiv Sena favoured her for the top job.
"Some people are jealous because of the work being done by Ms Sushma Swaraj and such malicious accusations are aimed at demoralising her and the government. The BJP chief Amit Shah as also Rajnath Singh have already explained the position and we believe the PM has full faith in sister Sushma," Mr Raut added.