Shiv Sena taunts PM Narendra Modi again in party mouthpiece

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena's relentless taunting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi continued today with the BJP ally saying he is taking a lot of trouble to fight many problems single-handedly and in the middle of all this was also able to go on foreign tours and steer the Bihar poll campaign.

In a sarcastic take on Modi, the Sena said he seems disturbed over the state of affairs in the country while presenting his monthly radio programme 'Mann Ki Baat'.

"One man is taking so much trouble to take away the pains of common man. He is fighting corruption, economic difficulties, unemployment, inflation, terrorism, political opponents and loud mouths from his own party," Sena said in an editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana.

"In the middle of this he is on foreign tours and finishing off pending work and then coming back to solve the problems of common man. He (Modi) has also taken the burden of Bihar election on himself," it quipped.

"What more can the government do for poor people?" the Sena taunted while referring to Modi's announcement of government launching gold coins bearing the Ashok Chakra.

The Sena taunt came a day after its chief Uddhav Thackeray took a dig at Modi's 'Mann ki Baat" programme, saying the party (BJP) needs to understand what is in people's mind.

Addressing an election rally last night in Kalyan where Shiv Sena and BJP are contesting the municipal elections separately, Thackeray said that "instead of telling your 'Mann Ki Baat' to people, the party (BJP) needs to understand what is in the minds of the public".

Modi has been airing his views through this programme aired by All India Radio on specific Sundays.

BJP and Sena, ruling alliance partners in Maharashtra, are at loggerheads over several issues including sports and cultural ties with Pakistan.

Taking a jibe on Modi's recent announcement that interviews will be abolished for appointments to Group D, C and B non-gazetted posts in Central government, the Sena editorial sought to know the number of such job opportunities available.

"The PM recently said there will be no interviews required. But how many of these jobs are available and who gets these jobs?," the editorial stated.

"Recently, UP government gave an advertisement for 360 Chaprasi jobs for which 23 lakh people applied. Even in the Mumbai municipal corporation, lakhs of people apply for a hundred posts," it pointed out.