Taking a jibe at Narendra Modi, the Shiv Sena said on Tuesday that the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate should realise that “he is no longer the leader of just Gujarat but the entire country” and that he should not worry unnecessarily about Maharashtra where it (the Sena) was much around to take care of the State’s needs.
Alluding to Modi’s speech at his Maha Garjana rally in Mumbai on Sunday, the Shiv Sena stated in an editorial published in its official mouth-piece Saamana: “As far as Maharashtra is concerned, Modi should take it easy. The Shiv Sena is very much here and it carries the saffron flag of Shivaji Maharaj”.
“Gujarat has found a gallant politician in Modi. But he should realise that he is no longer of Gujarat alone but that of the entire country. Through his speech, Modi created quite an impact on Gujaratis settled in Mumbai. Modi is the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate and every common man has huge expectations from him,” the Saamana editorial stated.
The Sena said Modi’s outburst against the Congress was a reflection of the pent-up anger of the people against the party at the Centre and in the State.
Picking a bone with Modi for his remark at the rally that Maharashtra had as many as 26 Chief Ministers since its formation in 1960 but the State still lagged behind Gujarat (with 14 Chief Ministers during the period) in terms of development, the Sena editorial stated: “There is criticism that Modi should confine himself to Gujarat and not speak about Maharashtra.... The pace of development in Gujarat may have increased under Modi’s tenure as Chief Minister but the fact remains that Maharashtra is very much ahead of Gujarat on the development front. It is also a fact that development in Maharashtra has taken a beating because of politics of defections practised by the Congressmen.”