Shiv Sena has launched a veiled attack on Raj Thackeray suggesting his MNS party was working at the behest of Congress to divide Marathi votes in the next month's assembly election.
"Some people had taken contract on behalf of Congress to divide Marathi people. Newly-formed parties for cause of Marathi and some former Sena people are helping Congress to divide Marathi people," Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray said in an interview to the party mouthpiece 'Saamana'.
Without naming MNS, which ate into Shiv Sena's Marathi votebank in Mumbai in the Lok Sabha elections, Uddhav said "they have taken 'supari' (contract) from Congress for breaking Maharashtrian solidarity and people are now talking about it openly."
"You will see the situation of these people later. Use and throw policy (of Congress) is known to all. Congress is acting like British, who divided (the country) and ruled," he said.
Uddhav expressed fear that if Congress continues with the policy of division, 'Marathi manoos' would not have any patron.
"Sena supremo worked very hard to unite Marathi people and fought for their cause. However, if Congressmen come together to divide Marathi people, they would not have any patron," Uddhav said.
Uddhav rubbished the remarks that Sena has forgotten issues of Marathi people and therefore lost the Lok Sabha polls in April-May.
{{/usCountry}}Uddhav rubbished the remarks that Sena has forgotten issues of Marathi people and therefore lost the Lok Sabha polls in April-May.
{{/usCountry}}"Sena got very good response in rural Maharashtra and people staying there are Marathi. We voiced the grave issue of farmers' suicides and these farmers are Marathi," Uddhav said.
Even in Mumbai the protests were held for the housing problems faced by Marathi people and against the increased power tariffs, he said.
He exuded confidence that Marathi people would remain with his party after the "bitter experience" of Lok Sabha polls.