Don't flirt with Shiv Sena, Nirupam warns Cong

November 01, 2019 13:34

Congress leader Sanjay Nirupam on Friday criticised party leaders who are mulling supporting the Shiv Sena in formation of the next government in Maharashtra, where the ruling saffron allies are engaged in a tug of war over sharing of power. Nirupam said the ongoing war of words between the BJP and its ally Shiv Sena was nothing but "drama" and the Congress should stay away from it.

"Have they lost? How can some Congress leaders think of supporting the Shiv Sena," the former Mumbai Congress president tweeted. "Congress should not get into Shiv Sena-BJP drama. It's fake. It's their temporary fight to grab more power share," said the ex-MP, who is miffed with party leadership over ticket distribution for the October 21 polls.

"To the best of my understanding, Shiv Sena will never come out of BJP's shadow," said Nirupam, who was associated with the Bal Thackeray-founded party before joining the Congress.

He cautioned his party against "flirting" with the Uddhav Thackeray-led party. "It is going to be a futile exercise. Hope the state leaders realise the truth. Instead we must introspectwhy the party lost 2 per cent of votes as compared to 2014 assembly elections.

"We are down from 17 to 15 per cent (in terms of vote share). As a party we have come down from 3rd to 4th position (in term of seats)," he said. Former Congress chief ministers Ashok Chavan and Prithviraj Chavan have spoken about the need for the Shiv Sena to break away from the BJP in case it wants to form government with their party's support. -- PTI

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