The Bharatiya Janata Party is capable of handing out a crushing defeat to others and winning 40 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra if it is pushed to go solo, party chief Amit Shah said on Sunday, in an apparent message to the Shiv Sena.
Shah was in Latur to hold talks with senior party leaders from the state. Without naming Sena, he said, "If we fight elections with our alliance partner, we will ensure victory for them. If it doesn't go with us, we will win 40 seats on our own and the alliance partner will be meted out a shameful defeat. (Yuti hogi toh saathi ko jitaenge, nahin toh usse patak denge aur 40 seats jitenge.)"
Despite being allies in the Centre as well as in the state, both BJP and Sena have been sparring over several issues and it has become more intense in the past few years.
Angered over Shah's comments, Sena issued an equally blunt response. "Amit Shah's arrogant statement exposes him and his party. BJP is losing its head as our party president put forth sentiment from every Hindu who wanted Ram Mandir. We are ready for the fight since the BJP wants it that way," said a statement issued by the party.
In an apparent bid to further antagonise Sena, Shah later announced that Maharashtra chief minister and Rajya Sabha MP Narayan Rane, seen as a Sena nemesis, would be a member of the BJP's manifesto committee. Sources said this is another indication the BJP is keen to fight the general elections with its ally.
Earlier, addressing a closed-door meeting, Shah said the BJP can rule for the next 50 years if booth level workers are efficient. He raked up issues in Assam and Jammu and Kashmir to target Congress president Rahul Gandhi. "He never expresses any opinion on intruders and insurgents who have crossed the borders because such people are a vote bank for Congress in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in Assam. After winning the 2019 elections, BJP will flush these intruders out," he said.
Referring to Congress state unit president Ashok Chavan, Shah said, "The case of that man from Nanded is pending in Supreme Court."