Sena chief all praise for Modi

Breaking his silence over the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prime ministerial candidate on Sunday, Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray showered praises on Narendra Modi terming him “a political storm who has given a face to Indian opposition.”

Carrying on the tradition left by his father Bal Thackeray, the Shiv Sena president in an interview to the party’s mouth-piece “Saamana” said: “Till now except for A B Vajpayee, the Indian opposition never had a strong leader or an acceptable face before venturing into the battlefield…But this time the scenario is different, people have a choice and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) need not fear because the alliance has a charismatic face in form of Modi.”

Sunday’s interview indicates that the strains and the schisms that had developed between Shiv Sena and BJP in Maharashtra, seems to have been sorted out.
Elaborating on the importance of having an endearing face while fighting electoral battles, Uddhav said:  “Congress is in shambles because unlike earlier times when they had Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi…this time they do not have any face…can you call Rahul Gandhi or Priyanka Gandhi-Vadra a face? Thankfully, the opposition is not only united but also has regained confidence because of Modi.”
Uddhav also dismissed fears of the high-profile ‘Shining India’ campaign disaster, categorically stating:“India will shine in a real sense under Modi. Earlier, ‘India Shining’ and ‘Feel Good’ were propounded by the NDA and of course we were ridiculed but then look at the present times…the image of India is that of a country that is mired in corruption and today we have come to such a situation wherein foreign investors just do not want to come here, but why talk of foreign investors, even Indian industrialists are packing their bags and leaving for other shores.”