BJP The Only Other ‘Hindutva’ Party, Shiv Sena Will Have To Ally With Us To Win Polls Says Devendra Fadnavis

Speaking at the "Mumbai Manthan" conference, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis said that even a simpleton would know that BJP and Shiv Sena would have to go together to win elections in 2019 and beyond because they were the only parties to have Hindutva as one of its themes, India Today has reported.

This was in response to Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray announcing that his party would go solo in all future elections. Sena, despite being an ally in the NDA and Maharashtra, regularly criticises the ruling-BJP.

Answering a query on Ram temple, he said, “Devendra Fadnavis is one of the 125 crore Indians who want to see a grand Ram temple being built,”. He said that the BJP wants to let the construction happen democratically with the Supreme Court’s directive.

Referencing to the Supreme Court’s decision on the five Left-wing activists’ arrests, he conceded that the police department might have been mistaken in holding a press conference over the issue but said that they had a lot of evidence to support the arrest, as reported by NDTV.

He also emphasised that he had no hatred for the Gandhis and regards them just as political and ideological opponents. He said his work and not caste would be seen in the next state polls. He also supported Uttar Pradesh government’s move to change Allahabad city’s name change to Prayagraj.