The front-page apology regret was offered at the behest of Bal Thackeray -- Sena chief and the editor the paper -- who moved in quickly to douse the fire after Sanjay Nirupam, MP and executive editor of the paper, portrayed Mahajan as the chief architect of `operation Tata airline demolition'.

Mahajan, known as the father of the saffron alliance in the state, reacted strongly to Nirupam's signed article, going so far as to admit for the first time that the relations between the two parties were strained (The Indian Express, Sept 9).

Though Thackeray himself had criticised the Central government's handling of the Tata airline issue, he had not gone as far as Nirupam whose charges could have provided grist to the opposition mill. Mahajan followedup his strong reaction with an equally strong protest against Nirupam to Thackeray on Wednesday upon which the latter ordered a front page announcement.

Accordingly, Dopahar Ka Saamna today expressed regrets to Mahajan. Said the page one box: ``In my article, I had made a brief mention about Mahajan's relations with the Jet Airways. Apparently, he was hurt by these remarks, for which I once again express regrets. Mahajan is an important leader of the alliance government. It is our responsibility to give him due respect.''

A suitably chastened Nirupam later told The Indian Express: ``I have expressed regrets to Mahajan since for us he is more important to the alliance government than the aviation project. To ensure that there is no threat to it, I have expressed unconditional regrets to him.'' But in the same breath, Nirupam added that the Centre should consider afresh the Rs 1475 crore proposal submitted by the Tatas.

Meanwhile, Udhav Thackeray, accompanied by Union Minister for Forest andEnvironment Suresh Prabhu, today called on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to apprise him of the strain that has developed in the alliance.

Ever since the alliance government came to power in March 1995, there was lack of unanimity on major policy decisions. Whether it was appointment of Chief Secretary, Director General of Police of the Commissioner of Police, consensus eluded the political leadership.

The war took a dramatic turn last month, when BJP leader Kirit Somaiyya publicly criticised the multicrore Shivshahi Punarvasan Prakalp and Housing minister Sureshdada Jain called him `foolish'. That quarrel was hardly settled by Thackeray when along came Nirupam's article which prompted Mahajan to say openly for the first time that all was not well with the alliance and that the relations had soured for `some reason or the other'. This rather grave statement from Mahajan is supposed to have spurred Thackeray to quickly apply the healing touch for the next time in a few weeks to salvage the alliance.