Shiv Sena links BJP war designs to political gains

The Shiv Sena may have sewn up a poll pact with the BJP but it is not inclined to stop snapping at its ally. A day after sealing the seatsharing agreement, the Sena asked the NDA government not to behave in a way that would reinforce the charge that it was trying to inflict a war on the nation to influence poll results.

Riots and terror attacks should not be milked for "political gains", the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

Targeting students from Kashmir over such incidents could spell more trouble for the government, it warned.

Without taking names, the party said, "Sometime back there were political allegations that Prime Minister Narendra Modi could wage a small-scale war to win elections... The rulers should not behave in a manner that these allegations gain credence." Referring to the Pulwama bombing, the Marathi daily said, "The country is still boiling over the terror attack, hence there will be criticism. (But) riots and terror should not be used for garnering political mileage."

Cautioning the government that the recent attacks on students from Kashmir could spell more trouble, it recalled the 1984 anti-Sikh riots after the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi and said the Congress was still "paying a heavy price" for it. It also took a dig at certain lawmakers for their controversial

comments. Noting that Punjab Congress minister Navjot Singh Sidhu was ousted from a television show after he called for dialogue with Pakistan, the Sena said a tirade was launched against him over the remarks.On the other hand, the comments of BJP legislator Nepal Singh, who recently stirred a controversy with his statement that Army jawans "ought to die", were selectively ignored and he did not face any action, it pointed out. Further targeting the government over the Pulwama incident, it said, "Our intelligence officials can trace an e-mail purportedly referring to a threat to the prime minister's life but they fail to stop terror attack on a convoy. "Before 2014, Modi and RSS had held the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government responsible for every terror attack in the country, the newspaper pointed out.