Ganesh Naik forms party

Addressing a public meeting held in Vashi for the launch of the new outfit, Naik said: 8220;If all other parties apart from the Sena-BJP and Congress get together, they can form a formidable front which will be hard to beat. The BVP will also join such a Front.8221; He declared he would work towards this by co-ordinating with senior leaders all such parties 8220;with whom I already enjoy a good rapport.8221;

According to him, such a front could easily win 160 seats in the state assembly, besides being able to send the maximum number of representatives to Parliament.

Naik was all praise for Sharad Pawar8217;s decision to break free from the Congress on the issue of the Prime Minister8217;snationality. 8220;While I have nothing against the Nehru-Gandhi clan which has done a lot for the country, it will be a sad day if this nation of 100 crore people cannot have a person of national origin to lead.8221; He, however, pointed out that it would have been better if Priyanka or Rahul were asked to take over. 8220;That would have been more acceptable than Sonia as PM,8221; he said.

Naik noted that the Shiv Sena had mishandled the issue when Bal Thackeray declared he 8220;would not allow Sonia to become PM.8221; Amid much whistling and laughter he asked, 8220;Who is Thackeray to decide all this?8221; He praised the BJP for raking up the same issue tactfully by playing the nationality card. 8220;But Pawar, Tariq Anwar and Sangma have stolen the thunder from the BJP by choosing to step out of their party on the issue,8221; he noted.

He also mocked at the Shiv Udyog Sena8217;s Jigar 2000 programme. 8220;I think somebody must have got the idea of this project after downing a couple of bottles of Hayward 2000,8221; he said, blasting the Senafor 8220;misleading youth.8221; Later, speaking to Express Newsline, he admitted that Pawar had approached him last year and asked him to join the Congress. 8220;But I told him it was impossible because I had a problem with the Congress culture. I had then warned him that the insecurity due to his popularity would see his party colleagues trying to sideline him,8221; he claimed, adding that Pawar8217;s moves to float a new party would catalyse more resignations.

Asked if the Sena would not expel him as he had floated a new party, he explained, 8220;Technically I am still in the Sena, since this party has not been floated by me but my supporters and I am not even a member of it.8221; According to him, many Sainiks supported him. 8220;Many have constraints since they are MLAs,8221; he revealed.

He also laughed off the recent desertion by some of his supporters as a freak case. 8220;Only a few people left us, and that made no difference to the NMMC mayoral poll,8221; he held.

The meeting, which began with a Marathi orchestra likeall other Shivshakti functions do, was attended by Naik8217;s supporters from Nagpur, Solapur, Raigad, Murbad, Karjat, Kalyan-Dombivli and Vasai-Virar. NMMC mayor Tukaram Naik from Ganesh Naik8217;s Navi Mumbai Vikas Aghadi was also present.