By evoking the post-divorce relationship between Bollywood actor Aamir Khan and his former partner Kiran Rao, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Monday explained his party’s relationship with the Bharatiya Janata Party. A former member of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), the Shiv Sena quit the alliance in 2019 after the Maharashtra Assembly polls.

Also read: Shiv Sena and BJP inching closer? A quick take

Defining Shiv Sena‘s relationship with its former ally, Raut said, “Look at Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao. (Their) paths have separated but (they) are friends. Same here. (Our) paths are separate but friendship remains. There will be friendship in politics. But this doesn’t mean that we are going to form government (in Maharashtra),” reported news agency PTI.

“There are differences, but as I have been saying for a long time, we (Sena and BJP) are not India-Pakistan. There are meetings and talks. But now our paths have diverged. In politics, our paths have separated,” he said.

Also read: 5 Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao collaborations that will stand the test of time

His analogy came after BJP leader and Maharashtra’s former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the two parties are “not enemies”.

After more than a decade of marriage, Aamir Khan and Kiran Rao announced their divorce on Saturday. 

“In these 15 beautiful years together we have shared a lifetime of experiences, joy and laughter, and our relationship has only grown in trust, respect and love. Now we would like to begin a new chapter in our lives — no longer as husband and wife, but as co-parents and family for each other,” the two said in a statement.

Also read: Aamir Khan-Kiran Rao divorce: Kangana Ranaut questions interfaith marriages

The couple, who met at the set of Khan’s hit film ‘Lagaan’, had tied the knot in December 2005. They have a son named Azad, who was born in 2011.