Bid to appease Muslims, Sena floats Mahasangh

Nobody could ever imagine that Shiv Sena which projects itself as the party of hardline Hindutva will attract the Muslims. But it seems the compulsions of party politics has changed everything. It has floated the Muslim Mahasangh to expand its support base in the Thane district as the party hopes to improve its chances in the 2012 civic body elections Thane's Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde said that though the Muslim Mahasangh is currently restricted to Thane and surrounding areas, it can be replicated in Mumbai and the rest of Maharashtra if the idea really takes off. The party wants to expose the Congress and other socalled secular parties who use Muslims to play votebank politics.

He said the Sena was not against the Muslim community, but will continue to oppose elements favouring Pakistan. Shinde said that during the Shiv Sena- BJP rule during
1995- 99 there were less communal riots.

" Thackeray had also made sure that the BJP- Sena government provided all necessary support to the Isthema in 1996 in Mumbai organised by the Muslim community. Shaikh Waheed, a supporter of the Sena said he would rather vote for Sena as it is more secular than socalled secular parties which are communal and casteists. He said

the vested interests always painted Thackeray anti- Muslim, while the fact is that he is better human being. On the other hand, the Congress and other parties exploited the Muslims and minority groups during elections and left them in the lurch once the elections were over," he added.