‘Saamana’ slams Girish Mahajan over Sena-Congress merger taunt

Written by: MANOJ MORE

2 min readPuneJun 20, 2026 05:16 PM IST

BJP minister Girish Mahajan allegedly claimed that the Shiv Sena (UBT) would merge with the Congress. (Girish Mahajan/X)

Shiv Sena (UBT) mouthpiece Saamana on Saturday hit out at BJP minister Girish Mahajan, who allegedly claimed that the Uddhav Thackeray-led party would merge with the Congress, pointing out that the BJP was rolling out the red carpet to Congress leaders while handing a raw deal to its long-time loyalists.

“BJP minister Girish Mahajan is claiming that Shiv Sena (UBT) will merge with Congress. And that is why six MPs have decided to join hands with Shinde Sena,” the Saamana editorial said. “We can understand the minister’s bitterness for Congress, but today in Delhi and Maharashtra, the BJP is roping in Congress leaders of different denominations and giving them all respect. On the other hand, BJP loyalists are getting a raw deal…they have been made to pick the leftovers of Congress leaders,” it added.

The editorial said leaders like Nitesh Rane and Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, who used to abuse Hindutva, Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar, and the RSS, were getting the pride of place in the BJP. “These leaders used to take a jibe at Veer Savarkar and RSS, but today they are symbols of BJP’s self-respect. Is Mahajan not aware of this?” it added.

“Mahajan should remember Congress bigwigs are sitting in the (Devendra) Fadnavis cabinet and running the government,” the paper said.

Pointing out to Mahajan that it was the Congress that fanned the freedom struggle in the country, the editorial said, “Congress leaders went to jail. Several of them sacrificed their lives. They gave up their wealth. It is then that the country secured freedom. Mahajan’s ancestors were nowhere in the freedom struggle.”

The editorial made several allegations against Mahajan’s ancestors, their role in the Chapekar brothers—revolutionaries Damodar, Balkrishna, and Vasudeo—being hanged to death, and staying aligned with the British administration.