Nitin Gadkari's behaviour is shocking: Saamana editorial

Mumbai, Oct 6 (UNI) Even as the Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to an understanding on the Chimur seat in Maharashtra's Vidarbha region for the forthcoming by-election, an editorial written in Shiv Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamana' today said the behaviour of BJP president Nitin Gadkari was shocking.

Sena chief Bal Thackeray is the Editor of this daily, while Sena MP Sanjay Raut is its executive Editor.

Mr Gadhari was pressing the BJPs claim on Chimur seat by saying the Sena has lost its strength there.

The editorial further said he (Bal Thackeray) loved Mr Gadkari at par with late Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde since he was an important pillar of the alliance between the two parties.

The editorial described late Mahajan as ''diamond''. The party grew in Maharashtra due to his efforts. It also said after the death of Mahajan, the Sena never tried to show BJP that they had lost their strength.

Recalling the days of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the Centre, it stated Shiv Sena offered the ministries of their share to other bickering parties for the survival of the Vajpayee government.

Enlisting the names of several parties like Trinamool Congress, TDP, JMM, LJP and even JD(U), the editorial said most of these NDA allies had left them and the NDA convenor George Fernandes himself was on his way to Samajwadi Party.

In such a situation, the BJP continued with the support of three major partners such as Akali Dal, Biju Janata Dal and Shiv Sena - three parties who are strong in their respective states.

''If the BJP does not care for their oldest and loyal friend then Shiv Sena was not ready to give up its pride,'' the editorial said, adding that the controversy reached to this extent due to the adamant attitude of ''one useless person''.

The editorial questioned how can the BJP judge the Sena's strength. In this situation, the Sena could now demand a few seats in Madhya Pradesh where firebrand leader Uma Bharti is not in the BJP.

Recalling the controversy over the statements made by former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani during his visit to Pakistan on Mohammad Ali Jinnah, the editorial said even at that time Shiv Sena did not ask the BJP to prove their strength.

''Hindutva is our breath and we are with BJP for the same,'' the editorial concluded.

The Saamana targetted yesterday Mr Gadkari for claiming the Chimur constituency and described him as the ''killer of the alliance,'' while it described late Mahajan as ''the architect of the alliance''.

UNI JM SSS PA BS2004