Shiv Sena hits out at ally BJP, Narendra Modi for 'appeasing minorities'

In an editorial in its newspaper ‘Saamna', Shiv Sena, in an apparent barb at Modi, said, "Special efforts are being made to bring in burqa-clad women faces to (Modi's) public rallies. Everyone is in a hurry to appease minorities. Rather than opposing the Congress, all are getting in the race of appeasing minorities," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece."

Targeting BJP's politics, the newspaper said, "people forgot the Ram temple issue in a bid to seek power."

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray

The Sena comments have surfaced even as BJP is trying to reach out to Muslims ahead of the Assembly and General elections, in a bid to seek acceptability for Modi, who has been under fire over the 2002 riots.

The editorial also claimed that appeasement of minorities will be detrimental to country's interests in the long run.

"We had seen earlier that to get power, Ram temple issue was sidelined, issues like common civil code were kept aside," the Sena said.u00a0