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MNS IS NO BJP ALLY, WANTS SENA VOTERS JUST LIKE SAFFRON PARTY
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray has turned into a conundrum for the BJP in Maharashtra, with the latter now recalibrating its ties with the firebrand leader.
Confirming this a senior BJP leader told First India, “We never formally tied up with MNS although the Shiv Sena alleges it is our ‘C’ team, just as the Owaisi-led AIM was allegedly our ‘B’ team. These assumptions are absolute humbug, and we are seriously reconsidering political equations with MNS over the potentially fallout for the BJP in Maharashtra.”
The BJP’s recalibration of its ties with MNS stems from perceived political implications in the forthcoming elections to 23 municipalities of Maharashtra, including the BMC in Mumbai.
“The BJP crossed swords with Shiv Sena and hopes to benefit from the Marathi Hindu voter exodus from the Sena over disillusionment with its proximity to the NCP and Congress with whom it has formed the MVA alliance government. In 2017, we fought Sena for the BMC and won 83 seats to their 85. If MNS rouses public sentiment in its favour, then Raj Thackeray’s party would naturally attract hardcore Sena voters rather than the BJP. This will not help our party so, why would we tie up with MNS?” the BJP leader asks.
Thackeray’s ties with the BJP have been contentious right from 2010, when he cosied up to Nitin Gadkari, who was then National BJP president. At the time, Maha BJP leaders Vinod Tawde and Sudhir Mungantiwar had invited Thackeray over to the BJP office in south Mumbai and felicitated him. This Shiv Sena was in alliance with the BJP and objected to the new-found love between BJP and MNS, even threatened to break the alliance, resulting in Mungantiwar and Tawde being pulled up by the BJP high command (read LK Advani).
Meanwhile, BJP’s MP from Kesarganj in UP, Brijbhushan Sharan Singh, on Saturday dared the MNS chief to visit Ayodhya for his scheduled Darshan of Ram Lalla on June 5. Singh has vowed to not allow Raj Thackeray to visit the Ram temple pilgrimage site without first apologising to the citizens of UP
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