BMC tussle: Sena slams BJP over alliance with Mehbooba
MUMBAI: A compromise between the saffron allies for control over the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Monday seemed elusive.
An aggressive Shiv Sena taunted its ally that in today’s situation, it would be better to side with the Congress than the BJP’s current version.
Sources in both parties told HT that the power tussle would continue with the Sena hoping to stack up more numbers in the 227-member house to drive a hard bargain with the BJP.
The Sena’s overall position in the mayoral contest also got a push with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) not taking the expected anti-Sena stance and, instead, saying that its decision would be in favour of the “Marathi manoos”.
In the polarised poll battle between BJP and Sena, it was seen that while non-Marathi speaking voters backed the former, a majority of the Marathi vote bank went to the latter.
The MNS stance comes in the wake of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) indicating its support to the Sena in the BMC.
The Sena mouthpiece, Saaamana, slammed the BJP over its alliance with Mehbooba Mufti in Jammu and Kashmir, pointing out that Mehbooba openly supported Afzal Guru, a convict in the Parliament attack case.
It published an editorial in response to CM Devendra Fadnavis’s statement on Saturday that the BJP would never join hands with the Congress for power.
In the editorial, the Sena said, “We welcome what the chief minister said, but we wish to make one small change and suggest what he should have ideally said. He should have said the BJP will not go with the Congress, but it will go with Pakistan-supporter Mehbooba Mufti.”
The editorial also said that the BJP is now a shade worse by having imported discarded leaders from the Congress and the NCP.
“What about the fact that his (Fadnavis’) own party has become a Congress by inducting cast-offs of the Congress and NCP? So, the Congress is more preferable than the BJP.” it said.
Fadnavis, in an address to party corporators on Monday, also said that the BJP’s mandate was not to join the ruling system but to create transparent governance.
Sources in the BJP, however, admitted that the Sena had stolen a march over them in the current situation.