State Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief Chandrakant Patil, on Monday, said that his party can ally with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in Maharashtra. He, however, added that the central leadership would take the final call on the matter.
Patil said he has some doubts about MNS chief Raj Thackeray’s views with regards to north Indians. “I have received a clip of Thackeray's speech on north Indians. I have heard that speech and I have some doubts about it. I will meet Thackeray in the next two days to discuss this,” he informed. He clarified that, so far, no discussions have taken place about the alliance between the two parties.
“The decision on the alliance will be taken after discussions with the central leadership and other colleagues,” said Patil. His statement came days after the MNS chief and he met in Nashik.
After Shiv Sena parted ways, BJP has been exploring the option of allying with MNS in a bid to lure the Maratha manoos. In MNS, BJP sees a potential partner, which can also be useful to woo Mumbaikars on the Hindutva plank. BJP insiders believe that the party can achieve its Mission 2022 with Raj Thackeray on its side, especially when MNS has changed his party’s flag to saffron. Shiv Sena, while joining hands with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and Congress, has agreed to uphold secular values and work for minorities.
