The Shiv Sena on Wednesday said the events of the last two weeks, culminating in the arrest of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, are part of a political experiment in Maharashtra which will not succeed.
"The Congress and Nationalist Ccongress Party have their own part in this political experiment. There were attempts to ensure that the Marathi voter was alienated from the Shiv Sena," party spokesperson Neelam Gorhe told PTI.
Efforts were made to distract attention from the issue of farmer suicides raised by the Shiv Sena, and the political experiment was used as a 'weapon' by the ruling Congress to alienate Marathi voters from the Sena, Gorhe said.
The MNS manifesto for the 2007 civic polls in the state had mentioned that the party was not against people from other regions and states, she said.
MNS had even entered into a poll alliance with Samajwadi Party in Thane civic bypoll, she pointed out.