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A war of words between Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members has brought cheers to the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party camp in Maharashtra.
The ruling partners, struggling to weather the anti-incumbency and the so-called Narendra Modi wave, said the estranged brothers’ fight and ugly verbal duel would only help them politically. The Congress-NCP combine hopes to benefit from the division of votes of the Marathi manoos, especially after MNS chief Raj Thackeray targeted Shiv Sena by fielding nine out of 10 candidates against the latter.
Further, MNS had supported the Left-wing Peasants & Workers Party candidates in Maval and Raigad where Shiv Sena was struggling to retain supremacy. Congress and NCP have entered into a 27:21 seat-sharing formula, while Shiv Sena and the Bharatiya Janata Party have stuck to their electoral pact of 22:26 in the state.
What annoyed Shiv Sena was Raj Thackeray’s support to Modi as prime minister. Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, opposed to MNS entry into Sena-BJP-led five-party alliance in Maharashtra, attacked Raj, saying the latter needed Modi as a mascot to stay afloat.
NCP spokesman Nawab Malik alleged the BJP was instrumental in pitting Uddhav and Raj against each other.
Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan claimed the BJP had backstabbed its long-time electoral ally, the Shiv Sena, by making unilateral efforts to lure MNS.
Shiv Sena had stepped up the attack against the Raj-led MNS, saying sensing its defeat in the general elections it was hurling abuses and engineering attacks against the Sena members. Shiv Sena’s youth wing chief and party president Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aditya alleged that the MNS chief has lost the mental balance.
The trigger for the spat between Uddhav and Raj was BJP former president Nitin Gadkari’s recent meeting with MNS chief with a proposal to abstain from the general elections but support Modi. Raj had rejected Gadkari’s plea to keep his party from nominating candidates but backed Modi.
Uddhav squarely blamed Gadkari for his unilateral efforts, which forced the BJP’s top leadership to pacify him and reiterate that the BJP-Sena alliance would continue and there was no scope for an MNS entry. Thereafter, Raj hit out at Uddhav and said if the Shiv Sena wanted his cooperation, it could have called for a meeting. Then it was Uddhav’s turn. The Sena president alleged that his cousin Raj backstabbed his father and Sena chief late Bal Thackeray. Uddhav had also questioned why Raj was absent during the first death anniversary of Bal Thackeray.
In Shiv Sena’s mouthpiece Saamna, the editorial questioned Raj’s credentials (“aukaat”).
A visibly miffed Raj lashed out against Uddhav and claimed that it was he who was at the late Thackeray’s side in the hospital when Uddhav was being treated for a heart ailment. Moreover, Raj announced that he will prove his äukat" in this election and all his MPs will support Modi.
