PANAJI: Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackarey today said the party did a mistake by letting and helping the BJP grow in Goa, else it would have had its leader as chief minister in the state long back.
"When BJP did not have a single flag here in Goa, (Sena founder) Balasaheb Thackarey helped them to grow here. We thought BJP and MGP are parties with ideology, and hence, Sena would not interfere in Goa," Thackarey told a workers' convention at Porvorim near here. "Shiv Sena always thought that it will be restricting itself to Maharashtra, letting BJP spread its wings across the country, even in Delhi. We thought not to interfere in other states," he said.
Sena did a mistake by not concentrating on Goa's political scene and letting the BJP-MGP rule it, he said. "If Shiv Sena had to prepare for Goa polls then without letting BJP and MGP to grow, by now we would have had our chief minister in the state," he said.
Meanwhile, launching a scathing attack on BJP, Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut today termed Laxmikant Parsekar-led ruling government in Goa as "worst than the Portuguese government". "The current BJP-led government in Goa is worst than Portuguese government. We (Sena) are here to throw this government out in the 2017 state Legislative Assembly election," Raut said. "We want to promise to the people of Goa that after 2017 election, there will be a Sena government in the state," he said.
Shiv Sena has announced that they will be contesting the upcoming Goa polls, mostly on 20 seats in alliance with the party led by rebel RSS leader Subhash Velingkar. "We are not here as tourists who will come and go back. We are here to give good governance to the people," he said.
"(Maratha Warror King) Shivaji Maharaj had arrived in Goa then to conquer the territory from the Portuguese rule. He was ruling in few of the tehsils. Similarly, we are here to rule the state and provide good governance," the Sena leader said.