Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Saranaik urged CM Uddhav Thackeray to team up with BJP, the saffron party MP Girish Bapat on Monday said that the estranged allies can come together on the Hindutva issue.
‘’Sarnaik has not been harassed by the BJP. The investigating agencies are pursuing various cases. BJP never indulge in harassment but it is at the forefront to help people,’’ said Bapat who is a former Maharashtra minister for Legislative Affairs.
‘’Shiv Sena and BJP can tie up on the Hindutva issue. Both parties were together for over 25 years. However, the alliance was broken due to some unnatural front. Sarnaik has spoken what is in the minds of many. What Sarnaik said now, the BJP leaders have been speaking when the formation of Maha Vikas Aghadi was underway,’’ said Bapat. He hoped that Shiv Sena leaders will consider Sarnaik’s proposal with a positive frame of mind as they will have to take a final call on patch up with BJP.
Bapat said elections to the 10 municipal corporations are slated for October 2021 and February 2022 including Pune and Mumbai.
BJP's alliance with Shiv Sena will be the priority in the municipal elections. NCP is a small party in Western Maharashtra, it is not an all-India party, so our priority is to ally with Shiv Sena against NCP,’’ said Bapat.
Meanwhile, NCP spokesman Nawab Malik said BJP has been making statements every day with a hope to form govt in the state. ‘’BJP is issuing new dates for the fall of the government. However, it will not happen as the government has been formed based on a common minimum programme,’’ he noted.
Shiv Sena leader Kishor Tiwari slammed BJP saying that Sarnaik’s letter could be a conspiracy by the saffron party to create hurdles for the MVA government when Thackeray is now poised to assume a big role in the national politics.
