Bengaluru: The Shiva Sena and the BJP have, rather had always bonded ideologically. 

Hindutva was the binding factor. 

But with its avarice for power, the Shiva Sena relegated all moral values to an abyss and joined hands with the Congress, known for its Hindu hatred and the NCP. 

The Shiva Sena may argue that desperate times call for desperate measures, but to divorce its core principle of Hindutva to join hands to form government is rank cheap and disgusting. 

However, the Shiva Sena must be applauded for its decision to vote in favour of Citizenship Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha. As many as 18 of its MPs voted for the bill. But in a span of two days, the party did a volte-face in Rajya Sabha. 

Taking a jibe at this chameleon-like attitude of the Shiva Sena, Union home minister said, “There are some parties which change colours for power. They change overnight. I don’t know what happened overnight.”

Interestingly, minutes after the Shiva Sena voted in favour of the bill in Lok Sabha, Uddhav Thackeray wanted a few clarifications from the Union government in order to vote in its favour in the Rajya Sabha. 

But the Sena members in the Rajya Sabha staged a walkout during the voting process. 

The move apparently came after a strong indication that the Rajya Sabha would pass the bill. 

So the Sena took a very calculated risk in the intervening days of the voting in the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. We should also remember that there were reports that Rahul Gandhi had openly sent out feelers to the Shiva Sena about its decision to vote in favour of the bill in Lok Sabha. 

Subramanian Swamy, in an interview with Republic TV said, "We have shared much harsher things with the NCP and yet made their leader Deputy CM. In Politics hot words die down fast. What matters in politics is ideology and I think Shiv Sena and BJP are the same. In Maharashtra, spreading Hindutva will be easier with Shiv Sena. We can do it without them, but why duplicate? Hence I am happy that they first voted for us in the Lok Sabha and did maximum they can in the Rajya Sabha (by abstaining)."