Sena hits out at MNS over toll booth agitation, calls it drama troupe

Mumbai: Sharpening its attack on MNS chief Raj Thackeray over his agitation against toll collection, the Shiv Sena said it had "predicted" the outcome of Wednesday's stir. "The Sena mouthpiece Saamana had on Tuesday made some comments (about Raj Thackeray and his toll stir). What happened on Wednesday was exactly on the lines of the Saamana editorial," Sena leader Neelam Gorhe said.

The 'Saamana' editorial had likened the MNS to a "drama troupe" and charged that the Congress-NCP were adding wind to its sails. It pointed out that the MNS agitation against toll in 2012 had slowed down and added that it had been revived just before the Lok Sabha elections.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Raj had refused to comment on the editorial. "Those who do not have a case of killing a mosquito lodged against them must not talk on this issue," he had said, when asked about allegations of him being hand in glove with the government.

The editorial had scoffed at Raj's threat daring the government to arrest him for the protest. "Once this arrest is done, the Congress-NCP's audience will applaud him," the newspaper, which has Raj's estranged cousin and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray as the editor, had said.

"The Salim-Javed of the Congress-NCP have written the script of this drama," it said, pointing to reports that a senior minister had intervened to get Raj the SP College grounds in Pune for his Sunday rally. "The Sena feels that Chief minister Prithviraj Chavan should take policy decisions on the toll issue," Gorhe said.

"He should show the political will need to resolve the matter. The state government must come out with an immediate three point plan for reducing burden due to toll on people. It should scrap toll collection where enough money has been collected. It should remove toll on roads covering small distances," she said. "The opposition alliance and Sena president Uddhav Thackeray have assured people a toll-free Maharashtra. We are confident that we will be able to fulfil our promise when we come to power," the Sena leader said.