Shiv Sena's praise for 'tigress' Mamata Banerjee has a message for ally BJP

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut recently said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is capable of leading the country.

Mumbai: The frayed relationship between the BJP and the Shiv Sena might come under fresh strain after the latter in its Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' called West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a 'tigress', days after it had praised Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi, saying he is capable of leading the country.

The Sena in its mouthpiece heaped praised on the Trinamool Congress supremo for “single-handedly” decimating the Left in West Bengal. The BJP alliance partner said Banerjee won the West Bengal Assembly Elections without tampering of EVMs or distributing money.

Interestingly, some political parties like the Mayawati Mayawati's BSP, Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party and the Congress had earlier raised their concern on alleged EVMs tampering.

"The tigress did what the Congress and the BJP could not do. She brought to an end the 35-years long rule of the communists," the Sena said in an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana.

"For doing so, she did not have to tamper with the EVM machines or buy votes. People gave her the responsibility to lead the state with a lot of trust. But attempts are now being made to stall development and create financial problems in West Bengal. It is not right to add to the woes of a state and push it backwards just because it does not subscribe to your school of thoughts. That state (Bengal) is a part of India and derailing its development hinders the development of the nation," the editorial said.

The editorial page comes after Uddhav Thackeray met the TMC supremo at a south Mumbai hotel earlier this week.

While addressing a discussion on a TV channel, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut said, “Congress leader Rahul Gandhi is capable of leading the country. It is wrong to call him ‘Pappu’.” Raut was referring to the nickname 'Pappu' used to mock the Congress vice president by a section on social media.

Sena, the oldest constituent of the NDA, shares a “blow hot-blow cold” relationship with its senior ally, the BJP, in the Centre and Maharashtra. The Uddhav Thackeray-led party has been attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi regularly and has often taken potshots at the BJP through editorials in the party mouthpiece Saamana.

In 2015, Shiv Sena had said that even 100 Rahul Gandhis cannot match Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “mega wave” and had mocked the Congress vice president for his ‘suit-boot ki sarkar’ jibe.