MUMBAI (TIP): In a vitriolic attack on Sharad Pawar for equating the Shiv Sena to “ants that will be stuck to jaggery of power,” the ruling alliance partner on Friday described NCP as “blood sucking leech” waiting to join hands with the BJP to be a part of Maharashtra government.

“Before calling others ants, it would have been better if Pawar had self-introspected. The NCP is infamous for sucking the blood of Maharashtra like leeches. These are leeches whose stomach will remain empty despite sucking out all the blood of the state,” the Sena said in stinging remarks in an editorial in party mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.

Pawar had recently said that power was like a block of jaggery and termed the BJP and Shiv Sena as ants drawn to it, sucking as much sweetness as they could.

On Pawar’s taunt that Sena was hungry for power and would not “dare” to leave the government, the Sena said the Maratha strongman first needs to answer why the NCP stuck to power with the Congress for 10 years, despite being humiliated several times by its ally.

“You spoke of (Congress president) as being a foreigner, but ate Italian pizza with her for 10 years. Congress leaders accused the NCP of corruption. (Former Maharashtrachief minister) Prithviraj Chavan abused the NCP time and again. But the way the NCP still stuck to power is nothing but a miracle,” the editorial said.

The Sena claimed that Pawar is waiting for an opportunity to come to power.

“The truth is that Pawar is only waiting for an opportunity to come to power in the government after the Sena-BJP alliance breaks,” it said.

“After the (Maharashtra) Assembly polls (last year), this was the same NCP that tried to cling onto the ‘pro-Hindutva‘ BJP like ants,” the Sena said.