Minority appeasement policy cost us Daryapur: Uddhav

Mumbai, Dec 7 (UNI) Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray today blamed the 'minority appeasement policy' of Congress as the reason for the party's defeat in Daryapur by-election.

Daryapur was the constituency which Shiv Sena candidate Prakash Bharsakale held since 1990. Recently, he resigned from the Assembly and joined Congress and got reelected by defeating Sena candidate Balasaheb Hinganikar by nearly 4,000 votes.

Reacting to the defeat of the party candidate defeat, Thackeray told mediapersons at Shiv Sena Bhavan, Dadar, that Congress was continuing minority appeasement policy. He cited Sachchar Committee report and delay in hanging of Mohammad Afzal, accused in Parliament attack, as examples of minority appeasement.

When asked his reaction about Chimur, the seat which created tension between Sena and BJP and finally was given to the latter, Mr Thackeray said he would not be able to comment on that constituency since he had not got the details yet.

When his attention was drawn to the tension betwen two opposition parties on sharing Chimur constituency, Mr Thackeray shurgged it aside by saying ''it was an old issue''.

However, he said the defeat at Daryapur constituency did not imply that Sena had lost its base.

In the past one year, eight Sena legislators, including Revenue Minister Narayan Rane, resigned from the House and seven of them got reelected on Congress tickets while Sena retained only one seat.

UNI JM KU SB RS2003