Ugly political war of words

Mumbai: The BJP Mumbai president Ashish Shelar began the campaign for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, terming it ‘Mahabharat’ and ally-turned-foe Shiv Sena as ‘Kauravas’, the villains of the epic. However, Shiv Sena has ended its campaign after party MP Sanjay Raut stated that his party would write a new Mahabharat. Furthermore, Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray termed the BJP a party of eunuchs and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis called himself ‘Narasimha’ who is known in mythology for killing of King Hiranyakashipu.

In his Saturday speech at Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mr Raut said, “The BJP is recruiting goons after seeing their crimes. Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon, Chhota Shakil have also applied to party president Raosaheb Danve for membership. We have brought up the BJP’s snake and now this is a time to kill it. The CM has pushed us in a battle of Kauravas and Pandavas. But we will write a new Mahabharat.”

Mr Shelar had invoked a fable from ‘Mahabharat’, praising the BJP as Pandavas, the heroes and Sena as Kauravas. He had even called Mr Fadnavis Lord Krishna, who was willing to forge an alliance with Sena, but the latter did not allow it.  

Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe said BJP and goons are inseparable like popular characters Archi and Parshya from Marathi movie Sairat. The chief minister was not behind dubbing Shiv Sena as a villain.

He said that his family deity was Narasimha who had torn stomach of Hiranyakashipu. In his last rally in Thane and ended his speech with a couplet from the Bhagwat Gita and appealed to all to become Krishna to destroy ‘durjanas’ (villains). “Yada yada hi dharmasya, (when faith is under attack) You all become Krishna to bring the change. Come forward to destroy the bad,” he said.