“Party Should Renew Ties With BJP,” Says Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik, Camping In Assam

The statement made by Ovala-Majiwada constituency MLA, now adds fuel to the burning political crisis in Maharashtra. Pratap Sarnaik said that the Shiv Sena must renew ties with the leading opposition BJP.

Mumbai: As the on-going political crisis in Maharashtra shakes the Shiv Sena’s power hold, Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik on Wednesday commented that the Shiv Sena must renew ties with the leading opposition Bharatiya Janata Party.

The statement, sources suggest, arose as the MLA was currently under probe by the ED. Sarnaik, has been under investigation by the ED in a money laundering accusation. The MLA previously wrote to Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Patriarch Uddhav Thackeray last year, asking the Sena to form coalitions with the opposition to save their leaders from harassment by the investigative body.

Sarnaik added to reporters on Wednesday, “I had first mooted the idea that the Shiv Sena should go with the BJP.”

Even though the BJP and the Shiv Sena are not officially allies, Mr. Sarnaik wrote in his letter to the chief minister last year, “the Sena must reap the benefits of being in touch with the opposition leaders.”

In the money laundering case involving the National Spot Exchange Limited, the ED recently attached Mr. Sarnaik’s assets worth more than 11 crore (NSEL). Several members of the Sena, NCP, and Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state have recently been the target of ED action.

The statement comes amid political turmoil that the Sena currently drowns in as a group of 40 MLAs led by Eknath Shinde, arrived last night in BJP-led Guwahati. The leaders were welcomed by the opposition at a five-star hotel.

BJP sources said, the leaders that previously camped in Surat in Gujarat were moved to Guwahati on grounds of security reasons.