Sena will go it alone

Inaugurating the 52nd anniversary of the Shiv Sena in Goregaon on Tuesday, Yuva Sena chief Aditya Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena can single-handedly win the upcoming elections.

Aditya said that until now the Sena has never tested its true strength by going alone. "Now is the time for us to fight alone, win the polls and come to power on our own," said Aditya. He urged the Sainiks to work towards achieving this goal and embark on this mission right away.

"The power that we have in the state today and the struggles that we have undertaken thus far is because of our own efforts and dedication. No one has done us a favour," he said addressing the huge gathering on Sena diwas.

In an oblique reference to the slender win of the BJP in Palghar by-polls, where the two parties had contested solo, Aditya accused the BJP of cheating. "While all eyes were on Sena, we saw the others wresting Palghar by cheating. But the moral victory is ours," asserted Aditya.

The Yuva Sena chief spoke of Sena's political journey, saying it has been a struggle and a battle for the last 52 years. He called upon the Sainiks to take Sena to every nook and corner of the country.

"It is important for us now to get majority in both the houses. We should not only strive to gain power in Maharashtra but also all over India," he said.

Aditya remembered his grandfather and founder of Shiv Sena, Bal Thackeray, saying that social work and politics should be given equal weight. "Balasaheb used to say, till now it was 80 percent social work and 20 percent politics. Now, we can change it to 150 percent social work and equal amount of politics," said Aditya.

Earlier on Tuesday, Shiv Sena, in an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamna, stated that it was capable of "hoisting its saffron flag in Delhi" as well.