Mumbai: Veteran Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray faction) has taken a dig at the ruling Eknath Shinde faction of Sena-BJP coalition in Maharashtra over the embarrassing newspaper advertisement “Modi for India, Shinde for Maharashtra". The Eknath Shinde faction of the Sena has found itself in the soup over the newspaper advertisement.
In the advertisement widely publicised in the prominent dailies on Tuesday, the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Sena has said that “30.2 per cent of Maharashtra prefer the BJP” while “16.2 per cent Maharashtra citizens prefer the Shiv Sena (led by Eknath Shinde)”. The gaffe has come as a major embarrassment for the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Sena-BJP coalition with political rivals using it to target the coalition partners.
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Uddhav Thackeray faction MP Sanjay Raut while addressing the media at his residence in Mumbai said, “Such jokes are happening in Maharashtra's politics” while reacting to the newspaper advertisement. “And Maharashtra does not like such jokes. We do not know whether this advertisement is government or private. If it is a government advertisement, Bharatiya Janata Party should respond to it,” Raut said.
Raut also questioned the squandering of lakhs of rupees on the advertisement. “Lakhs of rupees were spent in all the newspapers and only one survey was advertised,” he said. Raut further questioned the “survey” quoted by Eknath Shinde in the newspaper advertisement. “People are also discussing this. Where exactly was this survey conducted? I don't think this is a survey in Maharashtra. Either this survey should have been done in a government bungalow or it should have been done in Gujarat,” Raut said in a sarcastic jibe at Shinde.
The veteran Sena leader also questioned the omission of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray in the advertisement. "People, who call themselves Balasaheb Thackeray's heirs have put Modi's photo, but not Balasaheb Thackeray's. I mean, this army is the Modi army. You are so happy. You have forgotten Balasaheb Thackeray in this moment of happiness. There is no mention of Balasaheb Thackeray,” he reminded.
