Shiv Sena slams BJP for insulting Advani

Hindu radical party Shiv Sena, on Saturday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), for insulting the senior most party leader, Lal Krishna Advani and said that his name should have been in the first list of contesting candidates for the general elections.

In his editorial in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamna', party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday targeted the BJP for treating Advani unfairly.

Narendra Modi's era has begun, but that does not mean it is the end of the Advani era, said the editorial. Shiv Sena questioned the party for keeping Advani waiting on his seat for Lok Sabha polls.

However, Shiv Sena leader, Sanjay Raut, said that such reports about Advani should not have come to the fore.

"Today people are looking at National Democratic Alliance with high hopes. Therefore, we had written in 'Saamana' that the media reports about senior politician Lal Krishna Advani which had come to the fore should not have come although everything has been settled now," said Raut.

BJP has been facing uproar lately for election ticket distribution, especially over fielding Advani.

Advani had earlier expressed his desire to contest from Bhopal, a constituency he has represented five times in the Lok Sabha, whereas the party has decided to field him from Gandhinagar constituency.

Refusing to comment, BJP spokesperson, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, took a jibe at Congress and other parties and said that they are more concerned about his party.

"No one is upset within the party and everyone is together. Congress party and other parties which are unhappy are more concerned about our party and not about their own party," said Naqvi.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Virag Pachpor, said that senior leaders are being respected within BJP.

"This can be an opinion of 'Saamana' and according to me it is wrong to say that senior leaders are not being respected within Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). I do not believe that allotting them a ticket during elections does not that they are being respected. Thus, they are getting their due respect," he said.

Lashing at BJP, Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi said that Advani has been insulted on several grounds by the BJP.

"Lal Krishna Advani has been insulted by his party. The way he was insulted when the party's prime ministerial candidate was announced and now he had to wait for three lists for his nomination for the elections. This indicates that there is no place for Advani in the party," said Joshi.