Slamming BJP president Amit Shah, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today said the upcoming electoral battles are no "friendly matches" and the BJP has lost a "staunch supporter" who backed Prime Minister Narendra Modi even after the Gujarat riots.
"The BJP President says this is a friendly match between them while the state leaders call this a 'Mahabharat' between 'Kauravas' and 'Pandavas'. I want to tell Amit Shah this is no friendly match now. You have lost one who has always backed you and has been your staunch supporter. A supporter who backed (PM Narendra) Modi after the Gujarat riots when everybody was against him," he told in his first BMC poll rally here.
Shah had last Sunday said there were no differences with the Sena and that he hoped its decision to contest the Maharashtra civic polls independently was not going to cause damage to the alliance.
Thackeray said he does not want to play the politics of alliance anymore after having seen the behaviour meted out to the Sena.
"In future Sena will be alone only on the support of the Shiv Sainiks," he said.
Quoting Shah, Thackeray said when he says there are no differences and only 'manbhed' (differences of the heart) between the estranged allies, the BJP should come clean on the issues on which there is a 'manbhed'.
"We will not leave the cause of Hindutva. If you do, there is 'manbhed'. If you do not stop the atrocities being conducted by Pakistan, there is 'manbhed'. If you give money to the family of Burhan Wani after he was killed, there is 'manbhed'. If farmers land is snatched and given to industrialists and if people are made to stand in long queues due to demonetisation, there is 'manbhed'," the Sena chief said.
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