BJP wants to snap alliance with MNS in Nashik civic body

MUMBAI: As a fallout of Raj Thackeray's comments about Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, BJP's Nashik unit has sought permission of the party leadership in Maharashtra to snap ties with the MNS in the civic body there.

In 2012, BJP broke ranks with Shiv Sena to support MNS, which had emerged as single largest party in the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC).

BJP's support facilitated election of MNS candidate as the Mayor.

MNS had supported the Sena-BJP alliance in Thane for the mayoral election and had expected the saffron alliance to return favour in Nashik. But going against the Sena's wishes, BJP supported MNS.

Party spokesman Madhav Bhandari said the state leadership was considering the proposal of the party's Nashik unit and a decision would be taken at an appropriate time.

Yesterday, in Nashik, the MNS chief had said that Modi should have resigned as Gujarat Chief Minister after being nominated as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Raj also criticised Modi for his 'excessive' focus on Gujarat and said instead of talking about his achievements there, he should think about the whole country.

"The day Narendra Modi was nominated BJP's PM candidate, he should have quit as Chief Minister. The Prime Minister is of the entire country and not of a state," he had told reporters at Nashik.