Jan Surajya Shakti joins BJP-led grand alliance in Maha

\ Mumbai, Oct 26 (PTI) Ahead of the local bodies polls,\Kolhapur-based Jan Surajya Shakti (JSS) party today joined the\BJP-led \\’Mahaaghadi\\’ (grand-alliance) in Maharashtra.\ Before the Lok Sabha polls in 2014, Rashtriya Samaj\Paksha, Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna, Shiv Sangram and RPI-A\had joined the grand-alliance led by the BJP.\ Three-time former MLA Vinay Kore, who is the\founder-President of JSS, was present at a media briefing here\along with Maharashtra BJP chief Raosaheb Danve and state\Revenue Minister Chandrakant Patil.\ \\"The party was joining the BJP-led alliance to strengthen\the rural economy. If people get economic justice only then\social justice can be achieved,\\" Kore, who heads the\Kolhapur-based Warana group, said.\ He said his party would contest the local bodies polls on\its symbol in alliance with BJP.\ JSS wanted to align with BJP after the Shiv Sena-BJP\alliance was broken before the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls.\ \\"Things did not work out as poll arithmetic for Lok Sabha\and Assembly elections were different,\\" he added.\ Danve said JSS joining BJP-led alliance would strengthen\his party in the cooperative sector and rural Maharashtra.\ \\"Warana brand of milk and sugar is a reputed one,\\" Danve\said, adding Kore\\’s inputs would be important for his party\\’s\government in the co-operative sector.\ He said recently Samarjit Ghatge, another known name in\the cooperative sector in western Maharashtra and independent\MLA Mahesh Landge from Pimpri Chinchwad had joined BJP.\ \\"We are confident of doing well in the municipal Council\and Nagar Parishad polls \\" the Maharashtra BJP chief added.\ Kore said he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra\Fadnavis earlier in the day and discussed the challenges facing\the cooperative and agriculture sector.\ The former MLA said he had demanded that sugar be removed\from the essential services category.\ \\"78 per cent sugar is for industrial consumption. If sugar\gets a good price, sugar cooperatives will function smoothly.\Sugarcane will get good price and farmers will benefit,\\" he\said.\ Kore said among other things he discussed agriculture\modernisation and strengthening of the processing sector with\Fadnavis. PTI MR NRB\DIP\RDS\