Sena, MNS have lost their balance, says Javadekar

Questions why they are silent on corrupt rule of Congress-NCP and only targeting Modi

Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar on Tuesday led a blistering attack against the Shiv Sena and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) for targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi during campaigning for the Maharashtra Assembly Elections.

Javadekar wanted to know why Sena and MNS leaders and estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray were not attacking the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), which had ruled the state for the last 15 years. Why were they silent on corruption and various scams which came to the fore during the Congress-NCP government?

Javadekar claimed that both Uddhav and Raj had ‘lost balance’ and were therefore making baseless allegations against Modi and the BJP. He said it was quite strange that both Uddhav and Raj were not speaking about Maharashtra's development but firing salvos against Modi. He said that it seemed the campaign run by both Uddhav and Raj was in tandem with that of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was also criticising Modi.

''It is quite certain that the BJP is going to assume power after the poll,'' he noted.

Javadekar said the BJP would focus on positive issues, including development and maintaining Maharashtra's pre-eminence.

Earlier, Modi clarified that "no one can break Maharashtra" while he was in power. He was responding to allegations by the Shiv Sena, MNS and the Congress that he wants to separate Mumbai from the state.

"Congress leaders have been spreading lies on cotton and onion for the last 10 years. Now, they have started spreading a new lie. They say Maharashtra will be split. Has anyone been born in this country who can divide the land of Shivaji? I assure you that as long as I am in Delhi, no power in the world can split Maharashtra or separate Mumbai from Maharashtra," Modi said at a rally in Dhule.

At another rally in Jalgaon soon after, he said, "People who could not work for Maharashtra are indulging in false propaganda. They are saying Modi wants to take Mumbai away from Maharashtra. There is no one in India who can take Mumbai away from Maharashtra."

On Monday, Uddhav had said, "Modi is talking of developing the state, but on the pretext of development they (the BJP) actually want to break Maharashtra into pieces. But the people of the state will not tolerate such attempts."

Raj Thackeray had made similar allegations against Modi saying there was a larger design behind Modi's campaign as his BJP-led government was aiming to control the financial capital of India.