Raj Thackeray should not be part of mega-alliance: Athawale

Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale, who recently faced the wrath of Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamna' for suggesting that Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray should come together, today said that the MNS leader must not be given importance.
"I don't think both of them (Uddhav and Raj) will come together. Even I am of the opinion that Raj should not come with us, because it will not benefit us much," Athawale told reporters here.
However, he said that Uddhav will have to take a decision on forming an alliance with Raj Thackeray's MNS.
Warning BJP leaders to stop their efforts to call a truce between both the leaders, Athawale said that if they do not stop this process, it will lead to cracks in the Sena-BJP-RPI 'mega-alliance'.

"I feel that disputes would begin if BJP leaders do not stop the process of meeting Raj Thackeray to persuade him to join hands with the Shiv Sena," he added.
When asked about Shiv Sena leaders who had also urged the estranged cousins to sink their differences and team up for the 2014 elections, he said that they too ought to be reprimanded through the Sena mouthpiece.

The RPI leader said that he invited Raj to join the mega alliance only after Uddhav himself extended an olive branch to his cousin Raj Thackeray a few months ago.
"Even the BJP central leadership is not keen to form an alliance with the MNS, since he has been critical about migrants from North India," he said.

Meanwhile, a day after the new BJP in-charge Rajeev Pratap Rudy visited the state party unit and held deliberations, Maharashtra BJP chief Devendra Fadnavis called on MNS chief Raj Thackeray at his 'Krishna Kunj' residence today.
"It was a courtesy call by Fadnavis after he became the new state BJP chief," MNS sources told PTI, commenting on the visit.