Ready to facilitate rapprochement between two Senas, but hearts must meet first: Sena Min. Shirsat
Mumbai, Feb 1 (PTI): Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat on Saturday said he was ready to facilitate reconciliation between his party and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) but “hearts must first”.
In an interview with a Marathi channel, Shirsat said he is pained by the split in the Bal Thackeray-founded Shiv Sena, which is now headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Shirsat, who is also the Shiv Sena spokesperson, said even today he and many of his party colleagues share cordial ties with the Sena (UBT) leaders.
Asked if he was ready to facilitate any efforts towards rapprochement if he gets an opportunity, Shirsat said, “I will do it, but hearts need to meet first.”
The leaders of the two parties still meet each other warmly, he said.
“But the distance has become such that if it’s not bridged now, it will be difficult to mend ties later,” Shirsat said.
When asked whether Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray was in a position to facilitate a patch-up, Shirsat said the youth leader, who is in his 30s, was not in a position to do so because of his age.
“We can forgive each other’s mistakes. If you think you can come together by insulting each other then that's not possible,” Shirsat said referring to attacks by the leaders of Shiv Sena UBT.
The original Shiv Sena, then under Uddhav Thackeray, split in June 2022 after Shinde led a rebellion in the party, walked away with his supporters and aligned with the BJP to become Maharashtra CM. Subsequently, he got the party name and its ‘bow and arrow’ symbol.
Since the division, the two Sena factions have relentlessly attacked each other.
In the assembly elections last year, the Shinde Sena, a partner in the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance, won 57 of the state’s 288 seats. By contrast, the Sena (UBT), which has aligned with the Congress and NCP (SP) under the Maha Vikas Aghadi, bagged only 20. Altogether, Mahayuti won 230 seats, while MVA got just 46.
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Trump says EU has until July 4 to approve last year's trade deal or it will face higher tariffs
Washington (AP): President Donald Trump has said in a social media post that goods from the European Union would face higher tariff rates if the 27-member bloc fails to approve last year's trade framework by July 4.
The announcement on Thursday appeared to be a deadline extension after the president said last Friday that EU autos would face a higher 25 per cent tariff starting this week. Trump made the updated announcement after what he described as a "great call" with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Still, the US president was displeased that the European Parliament had yet to finalize the trade arrangement reached last year, which was further complicated in February by the US Supreme Court ruling that Trump lacked the legal authority to declare an economic emergency to impose the initial tariffs used to pressure the EU into talks.
"A promise was made that the EU would deliver their side of the Deal and, as per Agreement, cut their Tariffs to ZERO!" Trump posted. "I agreed to give her until our Country's 250th Birthday or, unfortunately, their Tariffs would immediately jump to much higher levels."
It was unclear from the post whether Trump was implying that the tariff rates would jump on all EU goods or the increase would only apply to autos.
His latest statement indicates he might be backing away from his earlier threat on EU autos by giving the European Parliament several more weeks to approve the agreement.
Under the original terms of the framework, the US would charge a 15 per cent tax on most goods imported from the EU.
But since the Supreme Court ruling, the administration has levied a 10 per cent tariff while investigating trade imbalances and national security issues, aiming to put in new tariffs to make up for lost revenues.
