Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Monday made it clear that before or after the general election, there is no room for the Nationalist Congress Party in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
NCP chief Sharad Pawar who keeps praising Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi on-and-off, likes to keep all his options open and will change course as the winds change after election, he said.
"He seemed to be veering towards joining the NDA. But Gopinath Munde, Ramdas Athawale, Raju Shetty, myself and others strongly objected, so his dream was shattered before the election itself," Thackeray said, in the second part of his marathon interview to party mouthpiece "Saamana" published Monday.
He expressed confidence that in the post-election scenario, the NDA would not require support from any other party, especially the NCP. "Even if required, it will not be possible to take NDA's support as it is facing the ire of the masses. It will be a betrayal of the electorate… People would question that if you (NDA) wanted to eat dirt, why did you fool us?" Thackeray said.
To a pointed query that the NDA has taken support of controversial people like the Reddy brothers in Karnataka or Ram Vilas Paswan, and the NDA may seek NCP support to form government, Thackeray said it would not be possible to take (NCP help).
"The masses are agitated against the current government at the centre of which NCP is a part, and even Sharad Pawar is the target of the public ire… He may not get any MP elected, but even if four-five are elected, we cannot take their support as it would be backstabbing the public," Thackeray declared.
Sunday, in the first part of his interview, Thackeray had showered praises on Modi, saying that after years, the opposition parties have got a face in him. Referring to the state's development, Thackeray lamented none of the ruling party MPs from the state ever raise their voice for Maharashtra at the centre for fear of losing their positions.
"We can expect nothing from (Chief Minister) Prithviraj Chavan. It is imperative for us to get the maximum number of Shiv Sena MPs elected to raise the state's voice in parliament and get the maximum benefit for the people here," Thackeray urged.
After all, Mumbai and Maharashtra alone account for 40 percent of the revenue to the central coffers — "What do we get in return — a 'thenga'? On the other hand, Shiv Sena MPs will roar like tigers in Parliament and get the most resources for the state," he assured.
He reiterated his earlier statement that Manmohan Singh was the weakest ever prime minister in the country and "we have been tolerating him for 10 years".
