Express News Service
MUMBAI: With its leaders facing heat from central investigating agencies, the ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra is seeking to hit back at the BJP, which rules the Centre, where it hurts the most. The party has launched a mass contact programme, ‘Shiv Sampark Abhiyan’, with the intention to expand its base, especially in BJP bastions where it earlier did not foray to observe ‘coalition dharma’ as it was in alliance with the party.
The Shiv Sena’s mass outreach is aimed at spreading the “good work” of Maha Vikas Aghadi and counter the “false propaganda of the BJP” to create a wrong perception about the Sena as a pro-Muslim party. According to a party leader, Sena president and Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has asked MPs and MLAs to visit their constituencies and meet people at each and every nook and corner.
“We have been also asked to expand the party base in areas where Shiv Sena never fielded candidates in Assembly and Lok Sabha elections due to alliance with the BJP. Traditionally, these seats were with the BJP and therefore, despite having a strong base, the Sena never contested elections there. Now that we are no longer in alliance with the BJP, these seats can be targeted for next elections,” said Sunil Prabhu, a senior Sena MLA.
He said that Sena has a network in every part of the state. “Our job will be to energise the cadres. We will visit loyal and hardcore Shiv Sainiks and meet their families. We will take our party president’s message to the masses. The BJP has been misusing central agencies and targeting MVA leaders and resorting to all sorts of propaganda against Sena and our leadership. We will expose the BJP’s propaganda,” Prabhu said.Another Sena leader said “the people’s court is the highest” and Sena will go there.
Sena MP Sanjay Raut, who is in Vidarbha as part of the Shiv Sampark drive, questioned on Tuesday why the central agencies like ED and CBI were overactive only in opposition-ruled Maharashtra and Bengal.
CM discusses action against MVA leadersThe issue of actions by central agencies against MVA leaders and their close relatives or associates came up for discussion during the meeting of the state cabinet chaired by CM Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday. In the evening, Thackeray hosted a dinner for Shiv Sena leaders at his official residence in south Mumbai.
