'BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will break before Assembly elections in Maharashtra'

Mumbai Congress chief and South Mumbai candidate Milind Deora on Saturday claimed that the BJP-Shiv Sena alliance will break before Assembly elections in Maharashtra, scheduled to be held later this year.

"Their alliance can break anytime. The Prime Minister did not mention the name of Shiv Sena even a single time at his rally here yesterday. I can give a guarantee that the alliance will dismantle before the Assembly elections in the state," he told ANI.

He hit back at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegaing that Congress wanted to put the burden on middle-class taxpayers.

"PM must answer first how much tax burden had the BJP put on Mumbaikars. The middle class pays tax for Swachh Bharat but after paying tax for five years, can we say Mumbai is cleaner now? Where is the money from the tax going?" Deora asked.

He further questioned the Prime Minister on job loss after demonetisation. "The Prime Minister must answer how many jobs were lost due to demonetisation. It was done by him, not Jawaharlal Lal Nehru."

On Friday, Modi had accused Congress and its leaders of insulting the middle class by allegedly calling them "selfish" and "greedy".

"Congress calls you (middle class) greedy and selfish. Is not this an insult to you? Look at their "Dhakosla Patra". They have not mentioned anything about the middle class. Congress wants to burden the middle class with taxes to protect the political capital of a family," Modi had said here.

Deora also questioned the Prime Minister on national security and said that he would not have politicised the services of armed forces had he been serious about national security.

"If he is honest about national security, why is he politicising the armed forces? Pragya Thakur spoke against martyr Hemant Karkare ji. Why her ticket was not revoked?" the Congress leader asked.

"Why did Shiv Sena not oppose the despicable statement by Pragya?" he asked.

Polling in Mumbai will be held on April 29, and counting of votes will take place on May 23.

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