'Form alliance with BJP': Rebel MLAs plea to Uddhav Thackeray in open letter

NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena rebel MLAs on Monday requested Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray to form a new alliance with the BJP and not shift the party away from Hindutva and its core ideology.Maharashtra Political Crisis LIVE UpdatesThe appeal was made by Deepak Kesarkar, spokesperson of the rebel Eknath Shinde camp, in an open letter -- which was released just hours before the Supreme Court granted interim relief from disqualification to the rebel MLAs.Political experts have opined that the rebel camp may now approach the Maharashtra Governor to push for a floor test. Fearing this, the Shiv Sena had asked the SC to pass an interim order that there should not be any floor test in the Maharashtra legislative assembly till the next date of hearing on July 12. The SC turned down the plea stating that the bench "cannot pass order on floor test as that would create unnecessary complications". "If anything illegal happens, you [Shiv Sena] can always move this court," the SC said.Rebels attack RautIn the open letter, Kesarkar hit out at Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut for trying to destroy the party. Calling Raut, the "NCP's blue-eyed boy", the rebel camp alleged that the NCP is shooting at the Shiv Sena by resting the gun on Raut's shoulder.The MLAs reiterated that their faction was not a "rebellion against the party", and that they are trying to fight for Shiv Sena's "self-esteem and Hindutva".They alleged that the other members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) -- NCP and Congress -- are conspiring to hack away at the foundation of the Shiv Sena by forcing leaders to stay quiet on important issues. "During the abolition of Article 370, our leaders were unable to speak openly. What kind of compulsions are these? Should we let go of all our self-esteem to please Sharad Pawar and Sonia Gandhi?"The rebel MLAs also complained that all the important portfolios were given to NCP and Congress.