Shiv Sena took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra, says Sanjay Raut

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party saying that his party took BJP from the bottom to the top in Maharashtra.

He also reiterated Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray's statement and said that BJP only uses Hindutva for power.

Talking with the media, Raut said, "We took BJP from bottom to top in Maharashtra. After Babri, there was a Shiv Sena wave in Northern India; if we had fought polls at that time, there would have been our (Shiv Sena) Prime Minister in the country but we left it for them. BJP only uses Hindutva for power."

Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Nawab Malik also spoke in favour of Uddhav Thackeray's 'Wasted 25 years with BJP' remark.

"It is a fact that the parties that made an alliance with BJP were gradually destroyed by them. It's good to take pride in one's religion, but it is not right to have hatred towards other religions," he said.

Uddhav Thackeray's remarks came on the 96th birth anniversary of the party founder Bal Thackeray.

"We are the ones who supported them (BJP). We had an alliance for 25 years. BJP used Hindutva for power. We left BJP but will not leave Hindutva. BJP is not Hindutva. Tactics were used against us when we challenged them," he said. He also said that the BJP has used Hindutva for power.