Launching a broadside against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday criticised the PM for scheduling a tour of the U.S. instead of trying to defuse the situation in the violence-racked northeastern State of Manipur.
Mr. Thackeray, addressing a conclave of his party leadership and rank and file ahead of the Shiv Sena’s 57th foundational day on June 19 in Worli today, further warned the BJP that they could never come to power by fostering communal riots in the State and across the country.
“If you [PM Modi] want to show your strength, then first go to Manipur and try and get things under control… No one even cares about Amit Shah there, such is the fury of the locals at the moment. PM Modi is willing to go to America and give advice, but cannot visit Manipur. He brags about allegedly stopping the Russia-Ukraine war, but I want to see if he can calm Manipur down,” said Mr. Thackeray.
Expressing concern that the PM and the BJP’s authoritarian rule was threatening to “split the country in pieces”, the former CM said he would be attending the meeting of non-BJP parties in Patna on June 23.
“However, we are not merely Opposition parties who are getting together just to oust the BJP at the Centre. We are patriots who seek to protect our country’s freedom and save democracy,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray further said that a PM could not be greater than the country while taking aim at the blind devotion shown by the Modi ‘bhakts’ (acolytes).
He warned that the BJP under Mr. Modi was hurtling the country towards dictatorship in the manner that Adolph Hitler steered Germany in the 1930s.
“Our ruling party is acting in the same way as Hitler’s party [the Nazi party]…it is silencing all Opposition, unleashing Central agencies on them, seizing control of the media. Remember, Hitler’s symbol too was the Swastika,” said Mr. Thackeray, taunting the BJP and its ‘Hindutva’.
“Why no elections”
The former CM further questioned why elections were not being held in Kashmir for the last five years despite the abrogation of Article 370.
“Amit Shah keeps asking me about my stance over Article 370, but keeps mum when we ask him about [industrialist] Gautam Adani. Why no elections are being held in Kashmir even after removing Article 370? Why are Hindus still unsafe there? You claim to be the strongest guardians of the Hindu community, but targeted killings are still going on there,” Mr. Thackeray said.
He also dared the BJP to bring the Uniform Civil Code, while stating that if the latter could not implement the ban on cow slaughter in the entire country, how could the UCC be implemented.
Mr. Thackeray further said there were no incidents of Hindu-Muslim clashes when he was the CM of the erstwhile MVA government, remarking that the BJP could never come to power by stoking communal discord in the future.
Remarking that the BJP never understood the importance of Shiv Sena, Mr. Thackeray said that at one time, its leaders used to come to ‘Matoshree’ (the Thackeray’s private residence in Mumbai), but today other parties were seeking the Sena’s help.
“No setbacks”
Taking aim at the faithlessness of the rival Sena faction led by CM Eknath Shinde, Mr. Thackeray lauded the support of his party cadre in the face of ‘betrayal’ of Mr. Shinde and 39 other MLAs.
He further said that today, he not only had the support of the Marathi-speaking people, but also of the Muslim and Christian communities who had seen the work done by the MVA government during the time of the pandemic.
“On paper, I have nothing today, neither the party’s name nor its symbol. Even if I try, I can never repay your debt. I have not been able to give you anything… Still, you all are with me today. June 19 is our Foundation Day and the day after that is ‘Traitor’s Day’,” said the Sena (UBT) chief, alluding to Mr. Shinde’s revolt in June last year which led to the toppling of the MVA government led by Mr. Thackeray.
Meanwhile, even as Mr. Thackeray strove to keep his flock together, sources said that the Shinde camp was set to deliver another blow with Sena (UBT) faction’s MLC and spokesperson Manisha Kayande set to join Mr. Shinde on June 19.
Ms. Kayande was absent for the conclave and reportedly ‘not reachable’, as per sources.
Without naming Ms. Kayande, Mr. Thackeray’s confidant, MP Sanjay Raut said that such defections were “no setbacks” for his party and that certain people joined and left parties for purely “selfish reasons”.
“June 19 is our Foundation Day and the day after that is ‘Traitor’s Day’”Uddhav ThackerayShiv Sena (UBT) chief
