PUNE/NAGPUR, Aug 3: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday accused the former ally-turned-foe Bharatiya Janata Party of doing “power jihad” by breaking political parties to form a government.
Hitting back at Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his “Aurangzeb Fan Club” barb, Thackeray dubbed the senior BJP leader a political descendant of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan king who defeated the Marathas in the third battle of Panipat.
Thackeray’s remarks invited strong criticism from Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads Shiv Sena, and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of BJP.
Fadanavis said Thackeray’s remarks against Shah have established the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader’s credentials as a member of the “Aurangzeb fan club”.
Shinde said the language used by Thackeray (to criticise Shah) shows how rattled he is which also reflects his intellectual bankruptcy.
Addressing party workers at a rally in Pune, Thackeray also accused the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation of bribing voters by distributing “revdis” (freebies) to them under the garb of schemes like the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which eligible women will get Rs 1,500 every month.
Accusing the former ally of breaking parties, Thackeray said, “If Muslims are with us after we explained to them our Hindutva, then we are (according to the BJP) the Aurangzeb Fan Club. Then what you are doing is power jihad.”
Shah had dubbed Thackeray “the head of the Aurangzeb fan club” sitting with people who sought pardon for 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon, apparently referring to Shiv Sena (undivided) severing ties with BJP after the 2019 Maharashtra assembly elections and joining hands with the Congress and NCP (undivided) to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
“Amit Shah is the political descendant of Ahmad Shah Abdali. Even he was a Shah. That was Ahmad Shah and he is Amit Shah. Will he give us the teachings of Hindutva? You ate the birthday cake of Nawaz Sharif and we should learn Hindutva from you?” Thackeray said.
Thackeray had recently launched a sharp attack on his friend-turned-adversary and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, stating “Either you will be there or I will (in politics)”.
Thackeray on Saturday clarified that he was not referring to any person.
“Some people thought I challenged someone, but I don’t challenge bed bugs. ‘I’ means my cultured Maharashtra and ‘you’ means the party which loots Maharashtra,” the former chief minister said.
Bed bugs are not supposed to be challenged, but crushed, he added.
Returning the fire, Fadanavis said Thackeray’s remarks against Shah have established the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader’s credentials as a member of the “Aurangzeb fan club”.
Shinde slammed Thackeray, saying terming someone as “bed bugs” shows (Thackeray’s) thought process is worm-infested.
“We have a Baygon spray to kill worms,” he added.
Thackeray asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to explain the leakage in the new Parliament building, built barely a year ago, instead of questioning Congress’ achievements in the last 60-70 years.
“This government (at the Centre) is a leakage government. There are paper leaks also,” he said.
He accused the BJP of engineering division among castes and practising Hindutva taught by Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
“This is not the Hindutva taught to us by Chhatrapati Shivaji. This (the one practised by the BJP) must have been taught by Aurangzeb which we do not believe in. Our Hindutva is the one that takes forward the Maharashtra dharma of Chhatrapati Shivaji,” he said.
With a judgement on the disqualification of MLAs rebelled against him awaited, Thackeray took a dig, saying, “We have faith in the judiciary. The result will surely be given in 5, 10 or 50 years”.
Democracy is being murdered in broad daylight, he claimed and stressed that justice will be delivered in the court of the people.
“The term of (the legislative assembly) is getting over. Even if they (the rebel MLAs) are disqualified, they can contest polls. So have we got justice?” he asked.
Thackeray hit out at Union Road Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari with potholes emerging on roads in various cities during the monsoon season.
“Potholes are everywhere, including in Mumbai, Pune and other cities. Gadkari once said he will build such roads that even after 200 years there will be not a single pothole on them,” he said.
Given the condition of roads, Gadkari should be given the ‘Khadde Purush” (man of potholes) award, he said pointing out that the construction of the Mumbai-Goa Highway is still incomplete.
Speaking at the event, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut claimed a “sense of trust” exists for Thackeray in Maharashtra.
“If we field 288 seats, we can win 160. Such (favourable) is the atmosphere in Maharashtra. But we are true to our word as there is Maha Vikas Aghadi).” (PTI)
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