Stung by the defeat of his candidates in Mumbai-Thane in the Lok Sabha polls, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray has poured scorns over his nephew Raj and his Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
In an editorial in party mou-thpiece Saamna, Thackeray targeted his nephew without taking his name. “Those who wanted to take revenge against the Sena have succeeded in giving the state to those who hate Maharashtrians,” the editorial said.
The editorial also taunted that the MNS cadres would be very happy with the defeat of the Sena and the Marathi manoos.
Sena’s three candidates in Mumbai and one in Thane lost the elections as the MNS polled more than one lakh vote in each of these constituencies. In Nashik, the party was pushed to third place after the MNS.
Thackeray accused the Congress-Nationalist Congress Party combine for adopting the strategy of ‘divide and rule’. “They knew they could never succeed in Mumbai and Thane without splitting our votes and now they succeeded.
He, however, reiterated his commitment to the cause of the Marathi manoos.
{{/usCountry}}He, however, reiterated his commitment to the cause of the Marathi manoos.
{{/usCountry}}“Today the Marathi manoos is standing firm on his feet with pride and no one can dare enough to touch him. Was this strength and inspiration not provided by the Shiv Sena?”
He also criticised the journalists for painting a dismal picture of the Sena’s performance in the polls where the party won 11 seats compared to 12 last time.