Raj Thackeray’s pro-Marathi campaign is not expected to hurt the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance in Maharashtra in a big way and any minor gains he might make would be offset by the possibility of the BSP eating into the base of the Congress-NCP alliance, BJP leader Gopinath Munde said on Thursday. Munde, a former deputy CM who shocked the party with his revolt last month, against what he said was the lack of internal democracy, said that Raj had raised sons-of-the-soil issues earlier as well and that had failed to help his party in elections to local bodies.“Raj Thackeray’s party could not show its strength,” Munde said at an Idea Exchange discussion organised by The Indian Express group’s Marathi newspaper Loksatta.Munde admitted that the Sena-BJP alliance had been hurt to an extent after Raj and Narayan Rane — revenue minister in the Congress-NCP government — quit the Shiv Sena, but was quick to add that Raj “was not a very big hurdle” on the the path to victory for the Sena-BJP in polls due next year.Munde rejected the argument that the BJP had been weakened by his revolt, which had been triggered after an intense power struggle with the rival camp, led by Maharashtra BJP President Nitin Gadkari, which culminated in Madhu Chavan being replaced as the Mumbai BJP President by Gopal Shetty.“The party has emerged stronger by my act,” claimed Munde, adding that the “injustice” in the party had forced him to take the step and stressed that the disgruntlement had been ironed out.“The party organisation has been re-vitalised and the party shaken out of its sleep,” said Munde, adding that he had expressed the simmering anger in the minds of the cadre, which was now satisfied and working for the party.Claiming that he was aware of the disgruntlement in the minds of the people and cadre, Munde said failing to highlight it would have damaged the BJP more. He reiterated that he had expressed his disgruntlement to the party high command in Delhi and also the state leadership and had gone to the media as the last resort. He also denied that he had positioned himself as an OBC leader during the crisis.Replying to questions about the BJP projecting him as its chief ministerial candidate, Munde pointed out that the BJP was the Sena’s junior partner in the alliance and therefore, the arithmetic did not add up. “Ordinarily, the possibility of my becoming CM is less, but that of the BJP-Shiv Sena coming to power is more,” he said, and reiterated that he would contest the Lok Sabha elections due next year.
