Thackeray to play ‘crucial’ role

As the UPA-Left stand-off over the Indo-US nuclear deal continued, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that party supremo Bal Thackeray will play a “crucial” role in the unfolding political crisis.

As the UPA-Left stand-off over the Indo-US nuclear deal continued, the Shiv Sena on Tuesday said that party supremo Bal Thackeray will play a “crucial” role in the unfolding political crisis.

The statement by party spokesman Sanjay Raut came at a time when the Congress is desperately seeking support from new parties and groups in the wake of threats by Left parties to withdraw support over the nuclear deal.

Giving mixed signals, Raut said that his party considered that the deal was in national interest, but maintained that his party would not do anything that would be a setback to the NDA of which the Sena, with 13 MPs in the Lok Sabha, is a constituent. “We have been the oldest allies of the BJP in the NDA, along with the Akali Dal. The NDA cannot be thought of without the Sena,” he said, when asked whether the party was ready to do business with the Congress-led UPA.

Raut said that Thackeray was minutely observing the situation arising out of the stalemate over the deal. He replied in the negative when asked whether anyone from the Government had approached the Shiv Sena for support on the issue. The refrain of Raut was that no one in the UPA or the NDA was against the deal and what some parties like the Shiv Sena and BJP wanted was due care to ensure that India did not become subservient to the US.

Raut’s statement assumes significance as the Shiv Sena had supported UPA’s Pratibha Patil in the Presidential polls breaking ranks with the NDA.