Sena's support to IMCP not to affect Maharashtra politics: Patil

Varanasi, June 9 (UNI) Maharashtra deputy chief minister R R Patil today termed Shiv Sena's decision to support Indian Muslim Congress Party (IMCP) in the Malegaon Municipal Corporation a ''pressure tactics'' aimed to affect the ruling Cong-NCP combine in the western state.

''It is part of Sena's tactics to pressurise the Cong-NCP combine in Maharashtra, but, it will only end up becoming a Sena weapon to gain political dividends in local politics,'' Mr Patil said while interacting with newspersons here.

He was in the holy city to pay obeisance at the world famous Kashi Vishwanath temple and catch a glimpse of the celestial 'Ganga Arti' along with his family.

Mr Patil further noted ''such decisions of the Sena will only serve its interest in a town or village and not the entire state, which still votes for politics of development rather than those, who play casteist or communal politics.'' ''By supporting lesser known Muslim outfits, Shiv Sena cannot redeem the mistakes committed by it in the past.'' Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray had recently okayed his party's tie-up with the Indian Muslim Congress Party (IMCP) in the Malegaon Municipal Corporation (MMC).

The IMCP has emerged as the single-largest party in the May 27 civic elections in Malegaon by denting the traditional vote-bank of the Congress and Janata Dal (Secular).

Also, the home minister of Maharashtra Mr Patil said he was taking recent threat of al Qaeda to engineer large scale violence in the country very seriously. ''Maharashtra houses the economic heart of the country Mumbai, which has always been on the terror radar...

we are going for a special security alert across the state.'' A video CD yesterday, apparently on behalf of the al-Qaeda terror group, declared holy war in India and named half-a-dozen local leaders on a hit-list.

The NCP leader also assured the workforce of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar about adequate security in Maharashtra, in the wake of growing opposition of parties like Raj Thackarey's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) to people migrating to Maharashtra from the twin states.

''Let me assure our brothers from UP and Bihar that they will as secure in Maharashtra as in their home states.'' UNI