BJP and Shiv Sena engage in war of words

Focus is to capture the maximum number of votes. For that ‘grand allies yesterday, opposition now’—BJP and Shiv Sena have resorted to attack tactics.

On Tuesday Shiv Sena in its party mouthpiece ‘Samnaa’ launched attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is noe busy campaigning for BJP in the state.

"The Prime Minister is busy addressing rallies in Maharashtra leaving his work in Delhi. Modi is a tall leader of the BJP but he has been forced to campaign in the state since the BJP has no known faces in Maharashtra," the Sena said.

Taunting Modi, party chief Uddhav Thackeray asked, If Modi was a ‘superstar campaigner’ as projected by the BJP, he would have appealed to people of the state to vote for his party while sitting in New Delhi.

Sena also alleged that the burden of visit was borne by state treasury.

"Whenever the Prime Minister is invited to conduct rallies, many things need to be taken care of. His security and other arrangements need money, the burden of which finally falls on the shoulders of the state treasury,” it said. 

Shiv Sena also reminded its estranged ally that BJP had severely criticized Congress President Sonia Gandhi and and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh when they used the state machinery for campaign work during UPA rule.

Now after assuming power at the centre, Modi is doing the same, the editorial said.

But, giving a befitting reply, BJP thwarted all allegations put forward by its former “Mahayuti” or grand coalition partner.

On Tuesday, without naming Shiv Sena, senior BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy said, they realized that they have lost the ground in Maharashtra, especially after breaking the alliance with BJP.

“They must have assessed that they are losing ground to BJP very heavily. So this desperation,” Rudy is quoted by media as saying.

“If they are contesting to win the elections, then they should be contesting against Congress and NCP. But if they are talking about BJP, it possibly shows that they have lost the battle, he added.

He also said that if Sena are contesting to win the elections, then they should be contesting against Congress and NCP.

But if they are talking about BJP, it possibly shows that they have lost the battle.

He asserted that Modi as well as BJP as per policy have decided not criticize Shiv Sena as a respect to its deceased supremo Balasaheb Thackeray, who was known to be very close to BJP.