How Shiv Sena pressurised BJP to miss close deal with MNS,says Gadkari

Mumbai, March 28: Former President of Bharatiya Janata Party (

) --

hinted that it was

which had pressurised the party to retract from a "close deal" with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) led by

.

After his much controversial meeting with Raj Thackeray in Mumbai, Nitin Gadkari for the first time broke his silence regarding the meeting. During an interview with TV news channel CNN-IBN, Gadkari hinted that Uddhav Thackeray and his party's displeasure with BJP-MNS meeting had compelled them from moving ahead.

I never asked Raj Thackeray to support BJP candidates: Gadkari

Gadkari was quoted as saying, "...when he (Raj Thackeray) was in the mood to give the response, before that matter, you know what happened."

Gadkari clarified his stand on the meeting saying, "I never asked Raj Thackeray to support BJP candidates. I just requested him in the interest of the country that he should take an initiative and take a role in the interest of the country that he should not contest the election of Parliament and go for Assembly because he has got his own agenda for that."

OneIndia News