Mumbai was and will continue to belong to Shiv Sena: Saamana edit

"They (the BJP) say that they have more elected representatives in Mumbai, which makes it their city. The Marathi speaking people have struggled for the city and they won this struggle. These people are firmly standing behind the Shiv Sena," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

"Thus, it is simple to comprehend that the city will belong to those behind whom the people firmly stand," it said.

Mumbai belonged to the Sena even when it didn't have a single elected representative in the city, it pointed out.

The Shiv Sena presently has 14 MLAs and BJP 15 legislators out of 36 Assembly seats in Greater Mumbai.

"If there was no Shiv Sena in Mumbai, the city would have been placed under the Centre's rule. Even our political opponents will agree to this," the editorial further said.

Alleging that vested interests were trying to shift government offices, trade and industries out of Mumbai, the Sena asserted that no one will succeed in separating the metropolis from the rest of Maharashtra till the party continues to back Mumbaikars.

The saffron allies had earlier sparred over the allocation of funds for Mumbai in the state government budget presented on Wednesday.

The Sena had said that the city was "ignored" and not allocated sufficient funds.

The BJP had immediately hit back saying that such comments show "ignorance" on part of the junior ally, which, it claimed, wants to delink the financial capital from the rest of the state