Shiv Sena hits out at PM Modi, praises West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party, in its mouthpiece Saamana, said the BJP should not have “illusions” that they will remain in power forever

The Shiv Sena on Monday took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and asked him why the coming together of the 22 political parties on one platform had left the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government shaken. The Sena in its mouthpiece Saamana said that the BJP should not have “illusions” that their government will remain in power forever. It also praised Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee for bringing 22 parties together on one platform and for taking on the Amit Shah-Modi combine “head on”.

The Sena asked PM Modi why the coming together of the 22 political parties on one platform had left the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government shaken. (HT File)

“[Recently] Modi gave a speech while sitting on a tank. Why should he worry about the Opposition while sitting on a tank? Did the united voice of the 22 Opposition parties shake the cannons of the tank?” the editorial read.

Coming down heavily on the Opposition while addressing BJP’s booth-level workers on Sunday, Prime Minister Modi had said the alliance is a grouping of corruption, negativity, instability and inequality. The PM’s criticism came a day after leaders from 22 parties, including Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, Telugu Desam Party, Aam Aadmi Party, Samajwadi Party addressed a rally organised by Banerjee in Kolkata.

The editorial added that most of the leaders, who had attended the rally, including Banerjee, were once allies of the BJP under the late Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s leadership and therefore should not be ridiculed. “PM Modi shouldn’t live in an illusion that his government is “immortal,” the Marathi daily added.

In November 2017, Thackeray fuelled speculations of joining a Third Front alliance against the BJP, when he met Banerjee during her visit to Mumbai.