Mumbai, Jan 21 (Midday News): Shiv Sena today ridiculed BJP's mission of winning the next year's Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on its own steam and said the latter is living in "fool's paradise" if it believes it can achieve the electoral objective.
The regional party, a key constituent of the BJP-led ruling alliances in Maharashtra and at the Centre, said signals emanating from the saffron partner indicate it wants to go solo in the BMC polls, marking the start of a fresh round of war of words between the allies.
Maharashtra BJP President Raosaheb Danve had on Monday said his party's aim is to unfurl its flag atop the BMC, indicating intention to contest the polls sans Shiv Sena. He had also evaded queries related to pre-poll tie-up with Sena.
"They (the BJP) are living in fool's paradise if they think they will win the BMC polls. Their statements, that they will win the polls, indicates they have no plans to ally with us.
"Good they have alerted us well in advance this time and not like the Assembly polls (in 2014) when they had back stabbed us," senior Sena leader Ramdas Kadam told reporters here.
"If they say they will unfurl their flag over the BMC, I wish to tell them we will sit on their chest and hoist our flag there. Let them try and stop us," asserted a combative Kadam.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party is ruling the country's richest civic body, which boasts of an annual budget in excess of Rs 30,000 crore, for over two decades in alliance with BJP.
Asked about a BJP leader's statement that the party will win at least 120 seats (well above half-way mark) in the BMC polls, Kadam quipped, "Why only 120? The BJP should say they will win all the seats."
The Sena currently has 89 Corporators in the 227-member civic body, while its ally BJP has 32. The rest are divided between Congress (52), Sharad Pawar's NCP (13), Raj Thackeray-led MNS (27) and others. BMC will go to polls early next year along with some other big corporations in the State.
Meanwhile, Sena President Uddhav Thackeray chaired a meeting of party legislators at his residence 'Matoshree' in suburban Bandra this evening. However, the agenda of the meeting was not known.