Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana, without naming the BJP, has come down heavily on its former alliance partner, saying “those who broke the tie-up are the enemies of Maharashtra”. “Our allies were keen that the alliance between Sena and BJP should remain. Moreover, the residents of the state wanted that. Those who trampled on these feelings are nothing less than enemies of the state,” Saamana’s editorial said on Friday. Terse editorials and name calling in the Saamana against senior BJP leaders was one of the flashpoints which ultimately saw the two saffron outfits breaking the 25-year alliance. The BJP leadership had explicitly asked the Sena to refrain from name calling through its papers during discussions. “The breaking of the alliance is an insult to the 105 Marathi martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement,” the editorial went on to say. The Sena which is now looking at making Marathi pride a major poll issue made all the right noises to pander to its targeted constituencies. “Those who till yesterday were doing aarti in this tent are now offering namaaz in the other tent,” it said in an attempt to pander to its core Hindutva constituency. The Sena also made a mention of the allegations made by Congress leaders of attempts to reduce the importance of Mumbai in the country. It said the Sena was the only party which would maintain the integrity of Mumbai. “The Marathi man has spilled his blood to ensure Mumbai stays in Maharashtra. Congress leaders should not worry about the territorial integrity of Maharashtra. It is the Shiv Sena and the saffron flag which will protect Maharashtra,” the editorial said.
