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Our Correspondent in Bombay
Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray on Tuesday said his party was ready to break its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, if the latter so desired.
Speaking at a book inauguration function in Bombay, Thackeray said the BJP had approached the Shiv Sena for an alliance and to keep the 'honour of the BJP, we agreed'.
"If you (BJP) want to break up the alliance, we are ready for it," he said.
He claimed that whatever strength the BJP had in Maharashtra was because of the Shiv Sena.
Thackeray backed Sanjay Nirupam's statement on the UTI muddle saying, "We did not say anything to hurt Vajpayeeji."
Nirupam had on Monday night written to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee expressing regret over his statement on the UTI crisis.
Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, on Tuesday said while his party had not spoken about breaking the alliance with the Shiv Sena, the later was welcome to do it if it so wanted.
Malhotra's statement, in political circles, is seen as a prelude to imminent re-entry of the eight MPs of the Trinamul Congress.
The BJP sources in Parliament also pointed out the government was banking upon the support of five independent members, led by Pappu Yadav from Bihar.
With inputs from Tara Shankar Sahay in New Delhi
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