Mumbai, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said he will never go with those who tried to “finish off” his party, putting paid to speculation about a possible reconciliation with the BJP post the Lok Sabha polls. Speaking at an event here to mark the 58th Foundation Day of the Shiv Sena founded by his late father Bal Thackeray, Uddhav claimed that the new Narendra Modi government at the Centre, which was sworn in on June 9, will collapse and will be replaced by an INDIA bloc dispensation.
The BJP was trying to hide its failure by spreading rumour that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will join the ruling NDA, he said, adding that the poll results showed that the saffron party was not invincible. “We will never go with those who tried to finish off our mother-like Shiv Sena,” Thackeray declared, responding to speculation that he will realign with the BJP. Misusing central agencies against opposition leaders was “government Naxalism”, he said.
“This is indeed Naxalism. This is more dangerous than urban Naxalism…it misuses power to break opposition parties, topple a good government and take opposition leaders in your party. This is Naxalism which kills democracy,” Thackeray said. The BJP was claiming that his party did not get votes of Hindus and Marathi-speakers, but the Sena (UBT) garnered votes from all communities, he said.
The BJP abandoned Hindutva for power, Thackeray alleged, and asked whether its alliance with regional outfits TDP and JDU was organic. The BJP’s Hindutva was “regressive” while the one professed by his party was “progressive”, he said. “Are Chandrababu Naidu and Nitish Kumar pro-Hindutva? I challenge Narendra Modi to go to Andhra Pradesh and say that I will fulfil the (assurances in) Chandrababu’s manifesto. Hasn’t Chandrababu made promises to the Muslim community? “Hasn’t Nitish Kumar given any assurances to the Muslim community in Bihar?” Thackeray further said. Naidu and Kumar are key allies of the NDA and helped the BJP-led alliance reach the majority mark in the Lok Sabha.
Thackeray also demanded that no elections should be held for 11 seats of the Maharashtra Legislative Council, where MLAs will be voting, till the Supreme Court rules on disqualification pleas related to some members of the state’s lower house. The rival Sena factions led by Thackeray and Eknath Shinde filed disqualification petitions against each other’s legislators after Shinde split the party in June 2022 and joined hands with the BJP to form a government in the state. The Council elections are slated for July 12.
