BJP Mouthpiece Dares Ally Shiv Sena To Take 'Divorce'

Mumbai: The BJP has dared its Maharashtra alliance partner Shiv Sena to take a "divorce" from their ties, escalating a war of words between the two.

In an article published yesterday in the BJP's Maharashtra unit's fortnightly publication 'Manogat' titled 'When Are You Taking Talaq? Mr Raut', BJP spokesperson Madhav Bhandari has dared Shiv Sena to walk out of the alliance, attacking Shiv Sena lawmaker Sanjay Raut for his recent 'Nizam' remarks.

The article also lists the "sacrifices" BJP has made in past to keep the tie-up intact.

"On one hand they eat 'biryani' in plate given by the same 'Nizam' and then criticise us on the other hand. They have got ministries at the Centre and state, enjoy perks of power only because of the favour of the same 'Nizam' and then curse BJP. This is called 'ungratefulness'," the article says.

"If they feel so oppressed by 'Nizam', why don't they just walk out," the article says, adding, "But, they don't show that courage."

Mr Raut recently said the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra were worse than the government of Nizam.

Criticising Mr Raut for his selective vision, the article says that while he feels the present government has done a lot of injustice, they don't see the great amount of work done through 'Jal Yukta Shivar' in Marathwada.

The article also rubs in BJP's better strike rate in elections, saying, "In 1995, BJP contested 117 seats and won 65. In 2009, despite contesting lesser seats, the BJP won two seats more than the Shiv Sena."

"Sanjay Raut and Shiv Sena president are not able to digest the fact that their strength is declining and that is why they are frustrated. They should accept the changing political situation and stop blaming us," Mr Bhandari said.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)