Modi calls Uddhav; Shiv Sena's Anant Geete takes charge of ministry after portfolio discontent

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena has finally called it truce with BJP and MP Anant Geete agreeing take charge of his Heavy Industries portfolio on Wednesday morning.

"Geete will be taking charge of the post for now. But Uddhavji spoke to Modiji and he has been promised that we will be given a better portfolio," Sena MP Anil Desai said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday felt the first small tremor in the NDA with Geete refusing to take charge of the portfolio alloted to him the heavy industry and public enterprises.

Mr Geete’s refusal came even as most of the ministers took charge of their respective portfolios. The Shiv Sena MP who did attend the first Cabinet meeting of the Modi government.

Interestingly, the same portfolio was allotted to the Shiv Sena in the Atal Behari Vajpayee-led NDA government in 1999. The portfolio was given to Sena leader Manohar Joshi, who was reluctant to take charge of it. He was later appointed LS Speaker.

Geete sought to play down reports that Shiv Sena was unhappy over being given only one ministerial berth and that too Heavy Industries portfolio in the Modi government.

"This (that I was unhappy) is not true. However, since the party I come from Shiv Sena is connected to the people, the party chief Uddhav Thackeray expected me to be given a ministry which is connected to the people," he said.

"In the future whenever there is a cabinet reshuffle Shiv Sena will be given a good ministry," Geete told reporters here.

The Shiv Sena is the BJP’s oldest ally and it has secured 18 seats in the Lok Sabha, making it the second largest party in the NDA.

The strain between the two parties assumes significance as state Assembly elections are due by October this year. The Shiv Sena-BJP alliance was in power in Maharashtra from 1995 to 1999.