Mumbai (The Hindu): Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday hailed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a “tigress” for decimating the communists in her State, a task, he said, the Congress and the BJP had failed to do. The remarks come two days after Mr. Thackeray met the TMC chief at a south Mumbai hotel.

An editorial in party mouthpiece Saamana said, “Some of the stands by Mamata Banerjee may be controversial, and some of them may not match with that of the Sena’s. But in her State, she decimated the communists, against whom the Shiv Sena has always fought. The tigress did what the Congress and the BJP could not do. She brought to an end the 25-year-long rule of the communists.

“For doing so, she did not have to tamper with EVM machines or buy votes. People gave her the responsibility to lead the State with a lot of trust. But attempts are now being made to stall development and create financial problems in West Bengal. It is not right to add to the woes of a State and push it backwards just because it does not subscribe to your school of thoughts. That State (Bengal) is a part of India and derailing its development hinders the development of the nation,” it said. Referring to Mr. Thackeray’s meeting with Ms. Banerjee on Thursday, the Sena, in a veiled attack on the BJP, said those who raised questions on the meeting should explain the rationale behind joining hands with “separatists and pro-Pakistanis in Kashmir for the sake of power”. “Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who had resigned from the Vajpayee government after the Godhra riots, is with you today, while Kashmiri Pandits are still helpless and displaced, and the Ram temple [in Ayodhya] is yet to be built,” the editorial said.

It added, “Before pointing fingers at us, look at these issues with a tinge of ‘Mamata’ (affection). Those who forged a friendship with pro-Pakistani [J&K Chief Minister] Mehbooba [Mufti], should not point fingers at us.”