Maharashtra Minister Takes SwipeAat Uddhav Thackeray Over Outreach To Socialist Parties

Maharashtra minister Deepak Kesarkar on Monday took a swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray for reaching out to 21 socialist parties and said the latter now has the right to join hands with the Samajwadi Party as well since he had given up Hindutva.

On Sunday, Thackeray, while addressing leaders of 21 socialist parties in the state, had claimed differences with them were mainly ideological which can be settled for the cause of democracy.

Thackeray had also said "many of them may be Muslims but they are nationalists who want to protect the country's democracy".

Claiming that Thackeray had no right to talk about Pakistan or Hindutva, Kesarkar said, "If he Uddhav Thackeray) cannot say anything when Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin's son Udhayanidhi speaks against Hinduism (Sanatan Dharma), he (Thackeray) has all the right to join hands with any party. He can even join hands with the Samajwadi Party (with a predominant Muslim support base in Maharashtra) because he has already given up Hindutva.""When Rahul Gandhi spoke against (Hindutva ideologue late VD) Savarkar, it could be understood you (Thackeray) did not saying anything since you were scared. But what is the reason for being scared of Stalin's son? When terrorists stopped the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage (in Jammu and Kashmir), it was Balasaheb Thackeray who stopped flights going to Haj," Kesarkar added.

Bal Thackeray did not oppose any religion but was clear that if Hindu pilgrimages are stopped then those of others would also be halted.

"The very next day, the Vaishno Devi yatra resumed. That was Balasaheb. That was Hindutva," Kesarkar asserted.

On Uddhav Thackeray's statement on Sunday that "if the BJP can shower flowers on Pakistani cricketers at the Narendra Modi stadium, I can also talk to socialist parties", Kesarkar said, "When Khalistanis attacked the Indian Embassy in Canada, Modi snapped ties with that country. If Pakistani players are being welcomed, they are being welcomed as players and not as Pakistanis."

Kesarkar claimed Uddhav Thackeray was supposed to rejoin the alliance led by the Bharatiya Janata Party after coming back from Delhi in 2021. The two paries had snapped ties after the 219 Assembly polls over a dispute on sharing the chief minister's post.

"(Nationalist Congress Party leader now with Ajit Pawar faction) Sunil Tatkare also stated the same. I also did mediation then. I can say 100 per cent that after he (Uddhav Thackeray) returned to Mumbai from Delhi, the alliance was to be formed again in 15 days. But time was sought," Kesarkar claimed.

"At that time, we did not know who played the villain (for the BJP-Sena alliance not getting back on track). But it was Tatkare who revealed that (Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP) Sanjay Raut, without consulting Uddhav Thackeray, leaked the information to NCP. The alliance could not restart and Raut had the main role in it," Kesarkar alleged.

Queried on a timeline, Kesarkar claimed these developments took place when (NCP leader) Ajit Pawar, (Congress leader and former chief minister) Ashok Chavan and Uddhav Thackeray had gone to Delhi in 2021. 

"The decision to rejoin the alliance was taken in a closed door meeting between Narendra Modi and Uddhav Thackeray. This episode should reach the common Shiv Sainiks. Do not make us (Eknath Shinde supporters who rebelled in June last year) the villain," he claimed.

Kesarkar claimed there was "pressure" on Uddhav Thackeray to go with Hindutva, to go with an alliance partner and "Modiji gave a very positive response because he had great love for Balasaheb Thackeray".

Uddhav Thackeray should have had some respect for Bal Thackeray's ideology, Kesarkar said, adding all the developments that took place later (like the rebellion) could have been avoided if the alliance between the Sena and BJP had restarted at the time (in 2021).