mumbai

Updated: Jan 21, 2017 08:23 IST

Amid seat-sharing talks with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Shiv Sena taunted its ally for inducting people with criminal records, saying giving a roof to criminals with an eye on power is worse than stashing reserves of black money.

In an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, Saamana, the Shiv Sena said that everyone desired power, but it should not come at this cost, and that the Sena was only warning the BJP as a friend.

“All such people who were in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) earlier have in a short span taken refuge under the lotus. Every one wants the ‘tilgul’ (a traditional sesame sweet) of power, but the BJP should be careful,” the Sena said in the editorial.

The Shiv Sena acknowledged that it was in seat-sharing talks with the BJP, and people have equated the process to the crushing of sugarcane. “We feel that the crushing will yield more sweet than molasses, but as a ruling party there are several who have lined up at the BJP’s footsteps to have a share of the ‘tilgul’.”

Both the Sena and BJP are preparing ground to contest independently in case the seat-sharing talks fail, and are already training their guns against each other ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls.

The Sena added, the BJP has never let go a single opportunity to criticise parties such as the Congress, the NCP, Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Samajwadi Party, Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and so on for harbouring people with criminal records.

“People think it is the BJP that can clean the murky Ganga of national politics, and the Modi-led party will cleanse the country’s political system. But such things are happening that make one wonder if the ‘tilgul’ is a bite of sugar or stones that can break teeth,” the Sena said.

The party cited the recent induction of 91-year-old Narayan Dutt Tiwari from the Congress’ fold. Tiwari, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, has been the chief minister of two states, a Union minister and a Governor, though he had to resign after a sex scandal.

“The BJP should come clean as to how Tiwari’s experience and guidance is going to exactly benefit the party,” the Saamana editorial said.

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