Mumbai: Days after borrowing Congress chief Rahul Gandhi’s ‘chowkidaar chor hai’ jibe, the Shiv Sena has now used Narendra Modi’s speech for Atal Bihari Vajpayee to strike the PM again.

In an editorial in mouthpiece Saamana, the Sena accused the BJP of being high on power and filling its ranks with “goons”. It also lashed out at the home ministry’s order allowing 10 central agencies to intercept data on ‘any’ computer.

“Snooping on people's computers and phones shows how restless you have become to retain power… You turned goons into leaders for power. Atalji valued democracy and relationships the most, so his name is with the people of the country even today. But today, relations hold no value. There is question mark on democracy. Snooping on people's computers and phones isn't an indication of freedom and true democracy," the party said.

Mocking Modi’s speech, in which the PM had slammed the Congress and said that power was like oxygen for the late Indira Gandhi, the Sena said: “Modi gave a good speech. Is your oxygen over?"

It added that the BJP’s chances seem “bleak” in 2019 which is why the party wants to ally with Sena again. "In 2014, the BJP broke the alliance with Sena for complete power. And now, when chances of complete power look bleak, BJP has announced alliance with Sena," it said.

Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray had earlier this week indicated his unwillingness to enter into an alliance with the BJP for the upcoming polls, asking why he should join hands with "someone" facing "corruption" charges.

He had demanded a discussion on the issue of Ram temple in Parliament and said it has been 30 years since the Babri Masjid was razed, but the Ayodhya matter is still in court.

The Shiv Sena is currently a constituent of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and also in Maharashtra. Thackeray had in January this year said his party will fight all future polls alone, though the BJP has been repeatedly calling for an alliance with the Maharashtra-based regional party.

Besides general elections in 2019, Maharashtra will face assembly polls in the second half of the next year.