Congress wants to destabilise Maharashtra govt, Sena-BJP should work together: Gadkari

Amid speculations over the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena joining hands for control of Mumbai's civic body, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said that both the parties should come together since they don't have the required numbers in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

Speaking to the media, Gadkari said, "Both the parties (Shiv Sena-BJP) don't have the required number, therefore, they should work together."

Taking on Congress party, Gadkari said that the grand old party wants to destabilise the state government and that is why some of its party leaders are talking about supporting the Shiv Sena.

The BJP improved its 2012 BMC poll performance by leaps and bounds, winning 82 seats, just two less than Sena. Both the parties are short of the magic figure of 114 needed to control the civic body.

The BJP also led the seat tally in civic elections with 25 zilla parishads and 283 panchayat samitis in Maharashtra, which has traditionally been a stronghold of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). 

Gadkari's remarks came after the BJP scored an emphatic win in the Maharashtra civic polls, emerging as the largest party in eight of the 10 municipal corporations, while finishing a close second to Shiv Sena in BMC elections.

Earlier, Gadkari singled out Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' for its targeting of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. "If there has to be a friendship with us (BJP), then there has to be a check on the writings in Saamana. How will there be friendship when Saamana, on a daily basis, writes insulting things about the PM and our party president?" he said.

(With agency inputs)