india

Updated: Oct 10, 2015 17:15 IST

Keeping an eye on the Bihar elections, Shiv Sena (SS) which is contesting in 150 seats, on Saturday said that it never indulged in any kind of anti-migrant (Bihari) movement or atrocities on migrants.

“Shiv Sena never started any movement against any migrant from other states (including Bihari migrant). No one left Mumbai or Maharashtra due to our party...Shiv Sena never indulged in atrocities on migrants. Show me one example of such incident in which Shiv Sena is involved against the migrants. Some politicians of the state are spreading such things instead of focusing on development,” party’s national spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said.

Raut, accompanied by party MP Arvind Sawant, was in Patna to release the third and final list of the party candidates. Raut released 56 names of candidates for third, fourth and fifth phase of polls in the state, thus taking the total tally of 150 seats on which Sena is contesting in Bihar where it has insignificant presence.

Sena is a ruling alliance partner in Maharashtra and at the Centre. Raut, who is also the editor of Sena’s mouth piece Saamna, said that Aditya Thackeray would stump for candidates during fourth and fifth phase of polls in Bihar.

Asked what would be party’s agenda in Bihar, Raut said that “the issues which we raised in Maharashtra are also present in the state...We will fight for the rights of son of soil and youths so that they may not have to go outside the state to eke out livelihood.” No government would be formed in the state without the help of Shiv Sena, Raut claimed, while adding that he was saying on the basis of overwhelming response he has received for his party in the state.

Praising chief minister Nitish Kumar for providing good governance and administration, senior Sena leader said that “Nitish Kumar was our ally. We have worked together. Though we have political differences but this is a fact that he has given good administration and worked a lot for Bihar’s development...But now he has joined hands with a person against whom he fought on the slogan of Jungle Raj. This is a serious issue.”

On the controversy surrounding ‘beef’, Raut said that beef cannot be the issue in elections, the issue is completely associated with one’s faith and religion and it should be discussed after the elections.