A day after the BJP ended its 25-year-old alliance with the Shiv Sena on issues centred on seat-sharing with smaller parties, the Sena attacked its former partner saying the BJP leaders would be seen as `enemies ‘of Maharashtra.
"At present we will only say that the dark moon in Maharashtra has ended and auspicious Navratra has begun. The crows of Pitru Paksha have flown away. The braveheart mavlas (Chhatrapati Shivaji's soldiers) have remained. The people of Maharashtra will soon get the taste of them," said an editorial in the Sena mouthpiece Saamna.
The Sena leadership chose to remain silent on Thursday night after the BJP announced the divorce at a news conference.
The editorial asserted that the Sena tried all options to keep the alliance intact. "Everyone will see what happens next, but we hope that this politics should not ruin the future of the State," the editorial noted.
It taunted the BJP saying that till yesterday the party which was praying on this side has decided to offer `Namaj’ in the other camp. "When such things happen, the words ideology, honesty lose their meaning," the Sena said.
It further said that the 11 crore population of Maharashtra was hoping to see a successful seat sharing. "Those who disrespected this feeling should be considered as enemies of Maharashtra. It is almost an effort to neglect the sacrifice of 105 martyres who led their lives for united Maharashtra," the editorial said.
Taking a cue from the allegations of the State Congress leaders that the BJP is planning to separate Mumbai from the State, it said that the Sena is capable of defeating all such attempts.
