Cong,not MNS,Enemy No. 1: Sena

Claiming that Marathi voters were regretting the decision to vote against the Shiv Sena in an “unguarded moment”,Sena executive president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said the Sena had done well in rural Maharashtra and considered the Congress and not the MNS as Enemy number one. Uddhav,who is finding his turf being increasingly encroached upon by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray,also ruled out the possibility of a patch up with his estranged cousin.

Speaking to the media on Wednesday at a function where the 11 new MPs of his party were paraded,Uddhav claimed that people had voted against the Sena in an unguarded moment. This was based,he said,on Maharashtrians admitting that they would not commit the mistake of voting for the MNS again in the Assembly polls. However,he did not disclose the source of his information or what his belief was based on.

Uddhav said the Marathi vote being split in the Lok Sabha polls had hurt Maharashtrians and rued that the people had shown their faith in the Congress despite the 26/11 terror attacks,bomb blasts and 26/7 deluge in the city.

Asked whether he regarded the MNS as Enemy number one,Uddhav took a swipe at his cousin and said that to be called so,it was necessary to have the numbers,and said the Congress was their enemy number one as it had the most number of seats. He added that “in case someone saw the Shiv Sena as their enemy it was their misfortune”.

Asked whether he would seek a rapprochement with his estranged cousin,Uddhav said Sena chief Bal Thackeray had already ruled out the possibility.