BMC Polls: Shiv Sena Trying to Woo Congress as it Knows it Would lose, Says Sanjay Nirupam

Mumbai: A day after Shiv Sena praised former Congress Prime Ministers, including Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam on Saturday said that since the Uddhav Thackeray-led party knows that it would lose the upcoming BMC polls, it is trying to woo the Congress.

Nirupam also attacked the Sena over the issue of graft in the cash-rich Mumbai civic body, saying that if voted to power, the Congress would launch an inquiry to expose corruption and send the offenders to jail.

"Shiv Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' is coming out with articles praising former Congress Prime Ministers. I want to clear that we do not need any sort of certificate from the Shiv Sena and I promise to you all that when we come to the power in BMC, we will book those people, be it engineers, contractors, politicians and their mastermind, who indulged in corruption. We will not spare anyone," Nirupam told reporters here.

Shiv Sena, in its editorial in 'Saamana' on Friday praised the contribution of former Congress Prime Ministers, including Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi and Manmohan Singh for their contribution.

"Shiv Sena knows that it is going to lose the BMC polls and hence trying to woo the Congress now. Sena has left Mumbai in dire straits. There are scams everywhere in BMC like, road scam, desilting scam, dumping ground scam, tab scam, sewerage scam," he added.

"The present state government is just conducting inquiries and only few engineers and contractors have been booked so far, but their masterminds have been conveniently left out," the former MP from North Mumbai alleged.

On the Sena-BJP's political slugfest, Nirupam said both the parties would pay a price of this "political drama".

"Despite being partners in the government, both of them have brought the level of politics down. Each party is blaming the other, calling it a party of goondas (hooligans) and mafia. What is Modiji doing? If Shiv Sena is so corrupt and a party of goondas and bribe-seekers, then why he is still taking that party's support in the state," Nirupam asked.