Borrowing heavily from the great epic Mahabharata, Shiv Sena attacked the BJP saying Maharashtra is "at the centre of the Kurukshetra battle" because of the harassment from central investigative agencies even as the state is fighting the battle against COVID-19.
In a stinging editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana, Sena said the saffron party "should not become an Abhimanyu". Sena's reference might hint at the fact that Abhimanyu, son of Arjuna, had the knowledge of breaking into the battle formation of Chakravhyuha, but did not know the exit strategy.
Observing that even as the state is battling the pandemic, it also faces the battle against the autocratic action by the Enforcement Directorate and the CBI, the editorial said Maharasahtra needs to take inspiration from West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who fought and won against such autocrats.
"On Tuesday, during the meeting between Sharad Pawar and Uddhav Thackeray, this strategy must have been adopted. In the Mahabharata Lord Krishna took his Rath right to the centre of the Kurukshetra battle and fought enemies on all side and defeated 'adharma'," the editorial was quoted as saying .
Pawar had met Thackeray amid speculation in state political circles over differences in Maharashtra’s ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance. The meeting came amid rumours that Shiv Sena is considering a patch-up with the BJP, its ally of 35 years.
The Saamana editorial said the chief minister is more confident now, and the Congress leadership in the state is in comfortable position too and hence the alliance is "moving like Lord Krishna's Rath on the Kurukshetra battlefield and destroying the enemy."
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut too borrowed from epic while taking on the BJP. Speaking to a news channel, he likened the MVA allies to 'Pandavas' and said, "The Pandavas were guided by Lord Krishna and stood for the truth, while 'Kauravas' stood for falsehood and sought power by any means".
Asked if he was calling the opposition BJP as 'Kauravas', he said, "The Kauravas were a symbol (of falsehood). I am not referring to them as Kauravas."
He said the BJP in Maharashtra was under the wrong impression that it can shake the state MVA government by levelling "false allegations" against legislators and ministers.
—With PTI inputs