“I have warned the BJP leader that if the BJP does not clarify on Raj’s visit then the Sena would boycott the anti-corruption rally organized by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Delhi.
The sudden ‘courtesy’ visit by Raj to the BJP headquarters and his tea meeting with the state BJP president Sudhir Mungantiwar and state general secretary Vinod Tawade has stirred a sudden storm in the Sena – BJP saffron alliance. The meeting has already raised eyebrows in political circles particularly at a time when rift has developed between the Sena and BJP over the recent polls to the legislative council polls and also as the Sena and the MNS are locked in a bitter fight over the polls to the University of Mumbai senate.
Raj’s visit to the BJP office has led to speculation of a tacit understanding between the MNS and the BJP for the University of Bombay senate polls in which the MNS as well as the Sena’s students’ wing, Bharatiya Vidyarthi Sena (BVS) under the leadership of Uddhav’s son Aditya will make their debut. The senate elections are schedule for Dec. 26, when about 50,000 students would exercise their franchise at over 40 centers.
The Sena and the BJP are also at loggerheads over the defeat of leader of opposition and senior BJP leader Eknath Khadse’s son Nikhil in the election of the recently concluded Maharashtra Legislative Council polls. Khadse had blamed Sena legislator from Jalgaon Suresh Jain for the defeat of his son at the hands of independent candidate Manish Jain, son of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Ishwarlal Jain.
Raj was locked in meeting with the BJP leaders for nearly an hour. After emerging out of the office, Raj drove off without speaking a word to the media gathered outside the BJP office.
Speaking to the media, the state BJP president Mungantiwar said: “Do not draw any political conclusion to Raj’s visit nor did it have political undertones. Let me clarify clearly that there were no political discussions between us. However, it is also true that untouchability of political credo is possible, but the BJP does not believe in untouchability of persons. At the same time, I also stand firm on my earlier allegation that the MNS was and is a brainchild of the NCP supremo and federal Agriculture Minister Sharad Paw to keep the Sena-BJP alliance away from power,” Mungantiwar added.
