Shiv Sena, JD(U) responsible for breaking ties, says L K Advani

Patna, Nov 14: Senior BJP leader Lal Krishna Advani today said old companions Shiv Sena and JD(U) did not heed his suggestion and went ahead to break ties with BJP with the hope to gain but the poll outcome has proved them wrong.

"When Uddhav Thackeray decided to go alone in the Maharashtra assembly polls, I personally called him and told him this will not be appropriate as Shiv Sena was among the founder members of NDA. I requested him to reconsider his decision and stay with us, but he did not accept," Advani told reporters.

"We do not break alliances when any party comes with us. We wanted the

with Shiv Sena to continue. But it seems Uddhav did not like my request. He thought his party will be better off if it goes alone. This ended the 25-year-old alliance that had continued since the days of Atal Behari Vajpayee," Advani added.

Shiv Sena severed its 25-year-ties with NDA in September this year after differences arose over seat sharing in Maharashtra assembly polls. Advani was in Patna to attend a function at a school run by a former IPS officer J K Sinha for students of Musahar community.

The 87-year-old veteran pointed out that even in the case of senior JD (U) leader and former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar severing ties with NDA, similar thing happened.

"When Nitish Kumar invited Narendra Modi for dinner during BJP national executive in Patna in 2010 and then cancelled the invitation, I told him that he was among the founder members of the NDA, and should not do this, but he did not oblige," Advani said.

The BJP leader, who is a former Deputy Prime Minister said he had personally invited Kumar to come to BJP national executive in Mumbai in 1998 and he was among the persons who started the NDA.

"I had gone to invite George Fernandes, then recuperating in Jaslok Hospital. Nitish Kumar was there and I invited him too. He came to our national executive. He came and that's how NDA started. When he was breaking away from the alliance, I requested him not to do so but he did not accept my appeal," Advani added.

The BJP stalwart also said, "There was no breaking away from the alliance during Vajpayee's time", but the phenomenon has gathered momentum recently as allies think they will perform better if they contest elections on their own.

"However, BJP is not losing ground in Bihar. I see important political changes happening in the country and hope its affect will be visible not only in Bihar, but also all over India," Advani added. He pointed out that the concept of 'coalition politics and government' has changed now and the belief that we were in its (coalition) age has lost its moorings.

PTI