Advertisement

Updated January 24th, 2022 at 08:13 IST

Uddhav Thackeray tears into BJP over Hindutva stance; avers 'wasted 25 years in alliance'

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on ex-ally BJP, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray accused it of subverting the ideology of Hindutva for the sake of power.

Reported by: Akhil Oka
Uddhav Thackeray, BJP
| Image:self
Advertisement

Launching a no-holds-barred attack on BJP on the occasion of his father Balasaheb Thackeray's 96th birth anniversary, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray accused it of subverting the ideology of Hindutva. In his virtual address to party workers on Sunday, the Shiv Sena president contended that his party had "wasted" 25 years in an alliance with BJP. After the 2019 Assembly election, the two parties had a bitter fallout after the 2019 Assembly election owing to the Sena's demand for the rotational CM post. Subsequently, Thackeray took oath as the CM backed by new allies NCP and Congress on November 28, 2019.

Refuting the notion that Shiv Sena has given up on Hindutva, he said, "we have left BJP, not Hindutva. BJP is not Hindutva". Arguing that the JP Nadda-led party changed the meaning of Hindutva as per "convenience", he cited its alliances with JDU, PDP and TDP. On this occasion, he also accepted Union Home Minister Amit Shah's challenge for Shiv Sena to go solo in the next polls provided that the Centre does not misuse investigative agencies against the party. 

Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray said, "They (BJP) have started to use Hindutva for their own interests. The meaning of Hindutva will always remain the same. The Hindutva that changes meaning as per convenience is not our Hindutva. They ally with Hindutvawadis for the sake of power. They ally with Mehbooba Mufti for the sake of power. They ally with Nitish Kumar who called for RSS-free India for the sake of power. They ally with Chandrababu Naidu who once said 'Modi hatao' for the sake of power. Where is the Uniform Civil Code? In the garb of Hindutva, cow slaughter is prohibited in some states. But they don't ban cow slaughter elsewhere for the sake of votes."

"You (Amit Shah) give a clarion call and then unleash ED and Income Tax on us. This is not courage. If the Shiv Sena supremo (Balasaheb Thackeray) was alive, you know what he would have said. He should not give such a clarion call. BJP has a 'use and throw' policy. Remember the days when they (BJP) would lose their deposits. At that time, they formed an alliance with regional parties- us, Akali Dal, Mamata Banerjee, Samata Party and Jayalalithaa. Atal Bihari Vajpayee ran the government with the support of these parties," the Shiv Sena chief stressed. 

'BJP betrayed us'

In his interaction, Thackeray also justified his tie-up with Congress and NCP by claiming that BJP wanted to treat Shiv Sena as a "slave". He added, "In many places, you engineered the collapse of governments, lured legislators and formed a government. Do you call this democracy? You created a rift in the Lalu-Nitish relationship, formed a government and then proclaim that you are the champion of democracy and Hindutva! This is not our Hindutva". Moreover, he reckoned that Shiv Sena could have had its own PM had the party capitalized on the pro-Hindutva sentiment after the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya.

Calling for the expansion of Shiv Sena beyond Maharashtra, he opined, "After the demolition of Babri Masjid, there was a wave in the country for Shiv Sena and the Shiv Sena supremo when he said 'Garv se Kaho Hum Hindu Hain' and 'I am proud of Shiv Sainiks if they demolished Babri'. If the Shiv Sena supremo and we had transcended the boundaries of the state back then, we could have had a Shiv Sena PM in Delhi today! This was a tremendous wave at that time. We should be able to bring it again. We should not let what happened that time repeat once again."

Explaining the breakdown of the relationship with BJP, the Maharashtra CM elaborated, "At that time, Balasaheb thought that you (BJP) handle the country as you are Hindutvawadi and we will manage Maharashtra. We reposed faith in them. They betrayed us. They won Delhi in their unique manner. But we had to strike back with our claws after they entered our home in a bid to wipe out our existence."

Advertisement

Published January 24th, 2022 at 08:13 IST

Your Voice. Now Direct.

Send us your views, we’ll publish them. This section is moderated.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Whatsapp logo