Stating that long standing ties with its saffron ally have been normalised, Shiv Sena presidentUddhav Thackeray on Tuesday said BJP chief Rajnath Singh and Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi have assured him that MNS will not be included in the ‘Mahayuti’ (grand alliance).
“MNS will not be included in the alliance at any cost and an assurance to this effect has been given by Rajnath Singh and Narendra Modi. There is no need to fear split in votes because people will vote for a stable and strong government and show the door to spoilers,” Mr. Thackeray said in the last part of his interview to party mouth piece Saamana .
The Shiv Sena-BJP ties were cordial and tensions happened because of one person, Mr. Thackeray said without naming BJP leader Nitin Gadkari, who had met MNS chief Raj Thackeray.
He did not wish to react to Mr. Gadkari’s comments post the meeting (with Raj Thackeray) that Sena had overreacted.
“The question is whether he was authorised to initiate talks with Raj and whether he had spoken to all the alliance partners before doing so,” he said.
On MNS fielding candidates against Sena nominees, Mr. Thackeray said the MNS had also put up candidates where NCP was contesting but not against BJP.
Mr. Thackeray said both Mr. Singh and Mr…Modi were in constant touch with him.
“Shiv Sena has been the oldest ally of the BJP and has been with the party through thick and thin. People like Ram Vilas Paswan are joining because things are looking good for the BJP-led NDA,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray also expressed confidence that AAP factor will not work in Maharashtra. “In Delhi, if BJP had declared its chief ministerial candidate on time, the party could have got majority,” he said.
