Finance Minister Arun Jaitley taking charge of Information and Broadcasting Ministry
A day after the Shiv Sena stopped just short of ending all ties with the BJP over endless and bitter wrangling in Maharashtra, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters: "Some problems take care of themselves."
Mr Jaitley had been asked to respond to the Sena's threat to sit in opposition and vote against the BJP government in Maharashtra in a floor test.
The two parties have another day to decide between reconciliation and a messy divorce before new Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis seeks a trust vote in the special assembly session that began today.
For the first time in decades, the BJP and the Sena sat on opposite sides of the assembly.
"It is up to the BJP to decide. We will not hesitate to vote against them if the BJP and NCP come together," said Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, referring to Sharad Pawar's party which has offered to back the BJP's minority government in Maharashtra, a move that has greatly diminished the power of the Shiv Sena.
On Sunday, Mr Thackeray asked his party leader Anil Desai to return from the Delhi airport just before he was to be sworn in as a minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
The Sena was upset that its leader was offered only a junior minister's berth. It adds to its growing list of affronts by the BJP, which has not given in to the Sena's demands for Deputy Chief Minister and key portfolios like home or finance in Maharashtra.
The BJP has 121 legislators in the 288-member state assembly and is 24 short of a majority. The Sena won 63 seats, but the BJP also has the option of choosing the NCP, which has 41 members.
The Sena has to decide by tomorrow on taking the post of Leader of Opposition. Sources say it is still hoping that the BJP will come around.
In a clear sign that he is willing to continue the negotiations that have spanned weeks, Mr Thackeray said he has not yet decided whether his party will exit the PM's coalition government by pulling out its lone minister, Anant Geete.
The Shiv Sena's 25-year alliance with the BJP ended ahead of the state election over how many seats each side would contest.