New Maharashtra Congress chief for pact with MNS

MUMBAI: In what is a significant change in stand, newly appointed Maharashtra Congress chief Balasaheb Thorat has said that his party would like to take the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena as an alliance partner for the assembly polls.

Thorat’s comments is interesting as the Congress had earlier opposed the NCP move to get the MNS as an alliance partner for the Lok Sabha polls earlier as the MNS was not popular with the North Indian community in Mumbai and Maharashtra. The MNS has been consistently blaming the migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar on the rising crime rate and on the issue of lack of jobs for the Maratha community.

“To safeguard democracy and progressive values, the present Maharashtra government needs to be voted out of power. In order to do that we need to take everyone along, we and the NCP are together but we will also try take the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi and the MNS,”said Thorat while speaking to media persons. His comments are a clear realisation that the Congress has changed its stand with regard to the MNS. MNS leaders claim that Thorat’s comments are a sign that the MNS would be a part of the grand alliance of the Congress and NCP that will take on the BJP-Sena for the assembly polls. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena Chief Raj Thackeray met Congress President Sonia Gandhi last week in Delhi.