Uddhav Thackeray criticises the BJP and rebels, saying the conflict is between money and loyalty

Uddhav Thackeray, the president of Shiv Sena, launched a scathing attack against the BJP on Sunday, accusing it of ending Shiv Sena and severing ties with the Thackeray family in the midst of the ongoing legal and legislative battle. He also criticised the BJP for making obnoxious statements about Hindutva. "Shiv Sena pursues Hindutva through politics, but BJP pursues politics through Hindutva." He asserted that this is the real distinction between the Shiv Sena's and the BJP's versions of Hindutva. Thackeray also claimed that the BJP wanted to delink the Shiv Sena from the Marathi Manoos and remove its saffron from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.

 

In his speech following the opening of the party office in KalaChowki, south Mumbai, Thackeray also attacked the rebel legislators, branding them rogue. He sent a stern message to the rebel lawmakers led by Eknath Shinde, saying, "If you have the guts, don't post the photo of Shiv Sena chief, my father (Balasaheb Thackeray), get votes on your guts." He continued by saying that the Shiv Sena had previously overcome setbacks and come back strong, and it would do so again this time.

 

Are you going to entrust such people (rebels) with Maharashtra, Mumbai, and your life? Thackeray said, "I have faith in the Supreme Court, but now they are telling the Election Commission that they are the real Shiv Sena. I don't want a bunch of flowers; if I want to give someone a birthday gift, I want maximum membership registration and affidavits of officer bearers. The rebels have professional agencies working for them. Loyalty versus money is the conflict here. No amount of money they spend will be able to erase the fame of my Shiv Sainiks, he added.

 

Without mentioning his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief, Thackeray declared that "the traitors have no choice but to join or merge with any other party" and asserted that "a party has made an offer to them yesterday." In response to Chandrakant Patil's claim that they appointed Eknath Shinde as the state's chief executive with a heavy heart, Thackeray made fun of Patil. "This (the formation of the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government) would have occurred two and a half years ago. The BJP now asserts that they have elevated a regular Shiv Sainik to the position of the Chief Minister. If the BJP had agreed to an equal division of the CM post, that would have been completed earlier, he said.

 

 

Image Courtesy: Twitter @OfficeofUT