PUNE (TIP): Unimpressed by Raj Thackeray’s support for its prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, the state BJP unit has decided to take on the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) in the Lok Sabha elections. State BJP president Devendra Fadnavis said that the BJP leaders will campaign for Shiv Sena‘s candidates to ensure the MNS’s defeat.

“We stand by our alliance partner Shiv Sena. We are doing all to win every seat in the state. The MNS has opened a front against our alliance partner and we are going to resist every attack on the Sena. Our leaders will campaign for the Sena candidates and appeal to voters to defeat the MNS,” Fadnavis added. He said there was no confusion and though Raj has announced that his MPs will support Modi, they would are going to campaign against MNS candidates. Allegations about colluding with the MNS have been in the air. Fadnavis said there is no covert or overt understanding with the MNS.

“The BJP values its old alliance partner Shiv Sena and there is no question of any understanding with the MNS. We are contesting the election as an alliance and it is our duty to abide by it,” he added. Senior BJP leader Gopinath Munde, speaking to local media persons in his hometown of Beed, said, “I had met Raj Thackeray and wanted him in our alliance. But things did not work out and the chapter was closed. There is no point in raking up the issue again.

We are confident that the alliance will win the maximum seats in the state.” Munde said he would address a series of rallies with Uddhav across the state. The BJP’s support for Uddhav comes against Raj’s appeal to his party workers to “target Shiv Sena”. During his public rally in Pune on Monday, Raj announced a dozen public rallies to explain his stand on Shiv Sena and Uddhav. “I need to clarify that I was not against joining the BJP-Sena alliance. But Uddhav never wanted me in. I plan to reveal more such facts in the next few days,” Raj had said.

City unit told to get its act together
The BJP’s state president Devendra Fadnavis said he had asked the city unit leaders to set aside their differences and campaign for the party candidate Anil Shirole. “We don’t want to lose any seat because of infighting. We cannot afford any bickering at this moment. All party workers will work for Anil Shirole and we are confident of winning the Pune seat,” said Fadnavis. He added that MLA Girish Bapat and his supporters were actively campaigning for Shirole and senior state leaders would address public rallies in the city. Nitin Gadkari supporter Bapat had sought party nomination, but finally Munde supporter Shirole succeeded to fetch the ticket. Unhappy with the decision, Bapat and supporters had publically expressed unhappiness over the party’s decision.

Mistry, Modi’s opponent in Vadodara, arrested
VADODARA (TIP): Congress’s Vadodara candidate Madhusudan Mistry, who removed posters of the BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, was on April 3 arrested by cops on charges of vandalism.Mistry, the Congress candidate was earlier detained for vandalism. Mistry, along with 100-odd Congress workers tried to remove posters of his rival and BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, in Vadodara.After detention, an unrepentant Mistry said he had no regrets for his action and said that he would continue to protest against Modi.

Will your jijaji be India‘s chowkidaar? Modi asks Rahul Gandhi
KURUKSHETRA (TIP): Bharatiya Janata Party prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi took on Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in a rally in Kurukshetra in Haryana. Referring to Rahul’s brother-in-law Robert Vadra’s controversial land deals in Haryana, Modi attacked the Gandhi scion, calling him shehzada. He was quoted by NDTV as saying, “I had said the country needs a chowkidaar and I will serve you like a chowkidaar.

Shehzada said the country needs 125 crore countrymen as chowkidaars. I ask him, will his jijaji (brotherin- law) be a chowkidaar too? Will he guard land?” In 2012, Vadra was accused by Arvind Kejriwal, an anticorruption crusader, of taking an interest-free loan of Rs 65 crores and heavy bargains on land from DLF Limited in exchange for political favours.Congress’ principal opponents, the Bharatiya Janata Party raked up the issue in the parliament and demanded a probe into the matter. In response to the controversies surrounding the deals, the Congress came in strong defence of Vadra, criticising the BJPfor targeting its president Sonia Gandhi’s family.