Abhijit Mulye By

Express News Service

MUMBAI: Targeting the BJP’s “nature of finishing off regional parties”, the Shiv Sena on Thursday decided to snap ties with its senior alliance partner at least for the local body elections in Maharashtra.

“They just want to finish off the regional parties. I realised this while attending a function with Union minister Uma Bharti at Pune. While discussing national politics, she started telling me about how the BJP finished off Mayawati and Mamata. That was the moment I decided that we should keep a safe distance (from the BJP),” Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray told his party MLAs, MPs and ministers.

He also applauded J Jayalalithaa, Mayawati and Mamata for building up their parties and not falling prey to the BJP’s politics. “They are all very strong at the local level. We need to follow their kind of politics,” said Thackeray.

Thackeray also announced that his party would now be contesting elections in all other states as well.

“We have never contested elections in other states seriously till now. But, henceforth we shall contest elections in all the states,” he said.

Thackeray lashed out at Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar for his remarks that gave credit to RSS teachings for the surgical strikes carried out by the Army.

“It’s the Army that carried out the strikes. It’s the jawans who die on the border. It is wrong to demean their sacrifice and professionalism to promote one organisation. This is sheer politicisation (of the issue),” Thackeray said.

Before the speech, Thackeray asked MLAs from different regions of the State to make presentations. After about 15 MLAs made their presentations, he spoke his mind and announced that the alliance would end, a party insider told Express.

“Looking at the overall mood, I feel we should not have an alliance with the BJP for the local body elections,” he said.

It appeared that the party leaders had sensed the mood and the atmosphere was charged from the very beginning, a senior spokesperson told Express.

Thackeray expressed deep displeasure over the recent conduct of the BJP in Maharashtra and said, “Going with them will jeopardise our credibility.”

“They have been growing on surveys. We have been thriving on the support of the men who worked for us on the ground. I don’t want to sacrifice their interest to grow our party,” Thackeray said.

“We have always been strong in rural areas and they (the BJP) felt that they are stronger in cities. Now, they feel that they have gained strength in the rural areas also. So, let us fight separately. We have nothing to lose as we hardly ruled any municipal council. If we contest separately, we are bound to gain politically,” Thackeray said.

Meanwhile, the BJP was cautious over the Shiv Sena’s decision. “We shall discuss the decision in our internal party meeting and devise our strategy,” BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari told Express.

The Congress, on the other end, dared the Shiv Sena to pull out of the government.

“If they have even a bit of self-esteem left, they should now pull out of the government,” leader of opposition in the legislative assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil said in a statement released here on Thursday.