Sena backs `independent’ Kalmadi

MUMBAI, Jan 27: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray finally announced his party's support to Suresh Kalmadi as an Independent from Pune, but only ...

MUMBAI, Jan 27: Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray finally announced his party’s support to Suresh Kalmadi as an Independent from Pune, but only after extracting a written undertaking from the latter that he would not rejoin the Congress after the polls. Thackeray said he had decided to back him primarily because his alliance partner, the BJP, had committed their support.

“Initially, I had decided not to support him as the seat had gone to the BJP in our seat sharing formula. Subsequently, I changed my mind following written assurance from Kalmadi that he will not rejoin the Congress after the elections even if it is headed by Sonia Gandhi,” Thackeray said with Kalmadi and Deputy Chief Minister Gopinath Munde by his side.

“With our support, it should not be difficult for Kalmadi to get re-elected from Pune,” he said. In the event that Kalmadi did a volte face after the elections, he would make the letter public.

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When asked why he had taken a lenient view over Kalmadi’s candidature, he said: “BJP, had already announced their support. Secondly, Kalmadi has assured us support in the next Assembly elections. With his help, it should not be difficult for the BJP-Shiv Sena to capture the Pune Municipal Corporation.”

Thackeray said earlier he had doubts about Kalmadi. “My impression was that Kalmadi’s exit from the Congress was the game plan of Pawar in connivance a section of the leading capitalists,” he said.

`Sonia, an unauthorised structure’

In yet another vitriolic attack on Sonia Gandhi,Bal Thackeray today described the Congress star campaigner as an “unauthorised structure of New Delhi which is on the verge of collapse”.

Only last Saturday Thackeray had lambasted Sonia and the Congress party’s subjugation to her when he said: “Let me marry an Italian and then let me see if I’m allowed to become the PM of Italy. Then I will have no objection if Sonia becomes the Prime Minister of our country.” But unlike at Aurangabad where he devoted his entire speech to Sonia and denounced her various speeches, he dismissed Sonia today as “an unauthorised structure”.