Shiv Sena, a one-time close ally of the BJP at the Centre, has praised Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s popularity and said that Rahul migh might make it ‘extremely difficult’ if not ‘impossible’ for the BJP to retain power at the Centre when the Lok Sabha polls are held in 2019.

The on-again-off-again ally of the BJP, Shiv Sena has now come out in the open in its opposition to BJP, its one-time thickest ally. Sena leader Sanjay Raut has praised Rahul Gandhi’s leadership skills, not for the first time though, in an article he panned in the latest edition of Sena’s mouth-piece Saamna.

“Though Congress didn’t win the Gujarat Assembly polls, it won people’s hearts,” he said and added that in sharp contrast to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Gandhi-centric campaign, the latter gave a ‘befitting reply’ to the BJP which wanted to rid the country of the Congress’ presence. “In fact, it was Rahul who pulled the chestnuts out of fire for the Congress,” Raut said in his article.

“Though I’m not a Congress supporter, I’m ready to stand by Rahul for the sake of propping up a strong opposition to the BJP,” he said.  Meanwhile, Congress in Maharashtra said it welcomed the chance of stand of the Sena and added that it was very clear that opposition parties in the country have started realizing the leadership potential of Rahul Gandhi.