BJP will bear consequences if it tries to ban 'Saamna': Shiv Sena

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], Feb. 16(ANI): Calling the move by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to put ban on Shiv Sena's mouthpiece 'Saamna' as proclamation of direct emergency, the saffron party's ally on Thursday threatened the former to bear consequences if it remains resilient on its stand regarding the same. "If this move is a proclamation of direct emergency then people should be cautious. Saamna is a national mainstream newspaper. It looks like BJP could foresee its defeat in the upcoming municipal elections. Saamna is not only a newspaper but also a weapon. If BJP tries to ban Saamna then they will get to know what saamna is all about," Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut told ANI. Sharply criticising the BJP's stand on the Shiv Sena mouthpiece, Raut said banning on Saamna depicts hollowness in the saffron party's mindset. "Saamna has always fought against anti-national forces. These sort of requests to ban Saamna used to be made by Pakistan and terrorist groups, Congress, Muslim, League and now BJP has also joined the list," he added. Raut further said that he is not surprised with the move. "I am not surprise with this move and BJP should get their DNA test done to know which bloodline is flowing in the veins when you talk about nationalist newspaper like Saamna," he added. Earlier, a BJP functionary has written to the state Election Commission (EC) seeking a ban on Saamna, claiming it would "impress" voters even after campaigning for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls ends. (ANI)