Modi praises Bal Thackeray

‘I will not speak a word against the Sena’ Explaining his silence on the Shiv Sena at his election rallies so far in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said he would not speak a word against the BJP’s estranged ally as a “tribute” to the late Balasaheb Thackeray. In his election rallies in Beed, Aurangabad and Mumbai on Saturday, Mr. Modi had attacked the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party but avoided any mention of the Sena. At the same time, he invoked Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji multiple times. Though the BJP broke off its 25-year tie-up with the Sena in Maharashtra, the Sena remains in the NDA government at the Centre. “This is the first election in Maharashtra to be held in the absence of Balasaheb Thackeray. So I have decided to show my respect for him, I will not speak a word against the Sena,” Mr. Modi said at a meeting in Tasgaon in Sangli district. Mr. Modi’s strategy could be aimed at weaning away the Sena voters, even as it helps the BJP keep a door open for any post-poll eventuality.  (Source:The Hindu)