‘PM Modi touring world, Amit Shah country’: Shiv Sena mocks BJP's Sampark Abhiyan

"The prime minister is touring the world and BJP chief Amit Shah is going around the country as part of their sampark programme."

Uddhav Thackeray. (Image: PTI/File)

MUMBAI: Hours before the proposed meeting of BJP chief Amit Shah and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in Mumbai, the Shiv Sena on Wednesday mocked BJP's outreach programme and reiterated that it would contest 2019 polls solo. "The prime minister is touring the world and BJP chief Amit Shah is going around the country as part of their sampark programme. Shah will be meeting NDA allies. However, what exactly will he do? Why is he meeting at this juncture when the BJP has suffered defeats in bypolls," the Sena asked in an editorial in the party mouthpiece Saamana. Shah is in Mumbai to meet Thackeray as part an effort to reach out to NDA allies ahead of the 2019 general elections. The focus on the 2019 polls may be the reason for Shah's outreach, but the BJP has lost connect with the people, it said. "Winds of change of governance are blowing in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Change of governance is inevitable in Maharashtra as well. Amit Shah intends to win 350 seats in the Lok Sabha on the BJP's own strength. He says Ram Mandir will be built then. His stubbornness needs to be saluted," the Sena said. The party added that inflation had peaked due to the high prices of petrol and diesel and farmers were protesting as their connect with the government was lost. During the Palghar bypoll, posters of Modi and Amit Shah went missing, it said, adding that the party used the posters of its late MP Chintaman Wanaga despite protests from his family. "After their win, Modi and Shah were back on the posters. This shows that commercial arithmetic decides who and when you keep contact with and when to break (contact)," it said. It noted that the BJP had broken contact with TDP's Chandrababu Naidu in Andhra Pradesh and questioned if building an equation with him once again will be part of Shah's outreach programme. If Naidu does not agree, Y S Jaganmohan Reddy (of the YSR Congress) is available, the Sena sarcastically added.