BJP plays down Raj's overtures

MUMBAI: The news of BJP���s courtship with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has left the saffron party embarrassed. The party was trying to play safe about its recent overtures, but Raj Thackeray���s praise for Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi and BJP���s state unit chief Nitin Gadkari has only strengthened the belief.

ET had reported on Monday about the BJP-MNS romance, and how the saffron party was distancing itself from its 22-year partner, the Shiv Sena. On Sunday, Mr Thackeray, while giving a speech on ���Maharashtra of my dream��� at Nigdi near Pune, dropped enough hints about where the state politics would head in the near future.

He lavishly praised Mr Modi, who, according to him, was the right choice for the prime minister���s post. Mr Thackeray also lauded BJP state president Nitin Gadkari as a man with a vision.

Mr Thackeray���s words have fuelled speculation on a possible understanding between the two parties ahead of the state Assembly polls, even as BJP downplayed the issue saying its ties with the Shiv Sena was ���strong and intact���.

While thanking Mr Thackeray for his compliments, Mr Gadkari said: ���I am not in the race for Maharashtra chief ministership,��� adding that in the event of the Sena-BJP alliance getting majority in the Assembly polls, the issue would be decided by the Sena chief Bal Thackeray and BJP leader LK Advani.

Mr Thackeray���s overtures to the BJP is being seen in the context of the bitter struggle and bargaining that was witnessed between the Shiv Sena and the BJP before the two parties decided to stay together and fight Lok Sabha elections jointly.

A bitter exchange of words between the Sena and the BJP leaders prior to seat adjustment had even given rise to a speculation that the Sena could join hands with the NCP. The Sena���s open support to NCP president Sharad Pawar as ���Marathi��� prime ministerial candidate too drove a further wedge between the Saffron allies with the BJP accusing the Sena of going against the NDA.

Analysts believe that the MNS, in its first Lok Sabha election, dented Sena���s vote banks in many constituencies. The party is trying hard to expand its base in the state ahead of the Assembly polls. That the newcomer is growing at the cost of the Sena could eventually hit the BJP. Worried about the electoral outcome, the BJP is looking for another alternatives in the state, it���s learnt.