Whoever bids to oust us from BMC would dig own grave: Shiv Sena

MUMBAI: Hinting that it is prepared to go solo in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation polls, the Shiv Sena, in a veiled threat to senior ally BJP, said whosoever tries to oust it from the Mumbai and Thane civic bodies would "dig its own grave".

Dubbing the use of state machinery and money power in the run-up to the polls as "unfortunate for democracy", it asserted that no one has been able to root out Sena's influence on the masses.

The election to Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), which is ruled by the Shiv Sena for 20 years, is likely to be the highlight of the next month's civic polls. The Sena and BJP together rule the Mumbai, Thane and Akola civic bodies, which are going to polls on February 21.

"Politics today is devoid of principles and the feeling of serving people, and has become selfish. People of the state are ready to eliminate these selfish people and ensure the hoisting of the saffron (Sena) flag in Mumbai, Thane, Nashik, Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

"Whoever tries to bring down the saffron flag in Mumbai, will dig its own grave. History bears testimony to that," it asserted.

The Sena also said that while campaigning for states like Uttar Pradesh, Narendra Modi does not merely address the people as a BJP leader but as the Prime Minister, rolling out freebies and promises to people.

"This is unfortunate in a democracy. Whenever the party in power goes into the battlefield for elections, it does so with the power of the entire administration and money. The Sena has battled such people and has been able to retain the saffron flag across the state," it said.

"The roots of Sena are strong that no one has been able to uproot it. It is the Sena alone fighting for the relevance of Mumbai. There are some whose love for Mumbai emerges only prior to the civic polls," the ruling alliance partner quipped.