In a fiery address to his party workers in Nagpur, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the rival Eknath Shinde faction and accused them of exploiting the revered name of Bal Thackeray, aware that the popularity of Prime Minister Narendra Modi does not resonate strongly in Maharashtra.
Thackeray urged his party members to connect with the people of the state and shed light on what he claimed were the misdeeds of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that their actions were leading the country towards dictatorship.
The former chief minister also criticized Prime Minister Modi for neglecting Manipur, a state that has been grappling with severe violence since May 3, resulting in over 100 deaths. Thackeray questioned why PM Modi had chosen to visit Madhya Pradesh, which is scheduled to hold elections later this year, while ignoring the volatile situation in Manipur, as PTI reported.
Taking aim at the BJP, Thackeray accused the party of betraying the core values of Hindutva by welcoming defectors from other political parties into their ranks. He specifically alluded to the recent induction of nine Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MLAs into the state government on July 2, which he claimed was a betrayal of Shiv Sena's pure and clean Hindutva.
Without explicitly naming the Shinde faction, Thackeray alleged that certain individuals were resorting to invoking the name of Bal Thackeray because they understood that PM Modi's influence would not work effectively in Maharashtra. He further cited the BJP's unsuccessful attempts to garner votes in the Karnataka Assembly polls by invoking Bajrang Bali, highlighting their failure.
The Shiv Sena party split in June last year following a rebellion led by Eknath Shinde. Since then, both factions have claimed to be the rightful successors of the party's founder, Bal Thackeray.
Thackeray went on to claim that the BJP should now be called the 'Bhrasht (corrupt) Janata Party,' as they had previously leveled allegations against the NCP but were now sharing power with a faction of that very party.
The Shiv Sena leader also drew attention to a report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), which purportedly stated that 40,000 girls had gone missing in Gujarat in recent years. Thackeray criticized PM Modi for speaking about investing in girls' development during his visits to his home state, while ignoring the alarming situation in Gujarat.
Additionally, Thackeray urged Shiv Sena (UBT) workers to engage in dialogue with the people and ascertain whether they were truly benefiting from the welfare schemes claimed by the ruling BJP.
Accusing those who opposed the Emergency in 1975, Thackeray alleged that they had imposed an undeclared state of emergency across the country by suppressing people's voices and fabricating false cases.
Thackeray concluded his address by urging party members to raise their voices against what he perceived as the increasing authoritarianism in the country, drawing parallels with China, Russia, and North Korea. He specifically called on the people to speak up and mobilize before 2024.
The Shiv Sena chief also criticized Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, calling him a "taint" on Nagpur for aligning with the NCP despite previous assertions that he would never do so. Thackeray played an old audio clip of Fadnavis reiterating his stance against joining forces with the NCP, implying that the BJP leader's words were contradictory.
Furthermore, Thackeray targeted Maharashtra BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule for his recent comments against him. Bawankule had accused Thackeray of lying after the latter claimed that the BJP had reneged on its promise to share the Chief Minister's post after the 2019 Assembly polls. Thackeray responded by criticizing Bawankule's inability to manage the party's reputation and the dedicated workers, highlighting his sole interest in retaining the position of state unit chief.
