In his much-awaited Dasara rally speech on Friday, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray led a frontal attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party, likening it to a jilted lover. He also said that the addiction to power was the worst addiction. Appreciating his West Bengal counterpart Mamata Banerjee for defeating the BJP, the Maharashtra chief minister gave a clarion call to Hindus and to the Marathi ‘manoos’ to unite.
“Hindutva is under threat. Like the British, they will divide and rule. They will divide on the basis of caste, religion. All the Marathis, come together. Leave aside your castes and subcastes. All the Marathis and non-Marathis unite. All the Hindus, come together,” he said in a speech that is considered crucial against the background of the coming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections in 2022.
“Like Bengal, will you send the attackers back?” he asked the Shiv Sainiks, who responded enthusiastically.
Here’s what else the Sena chief said:
Dig at Fadnavis
“I don’t want people to remember me as a CM, but as a family member,” said the CM, opening his speech by targeting his predecessor Devendra Fadnavis. Fadnavis recently said he didn’t feel he wasn’t the chief minister anymore. “I should never feel that I am the CM,” Thackeray said. Targeting the state BJP leaders who gave statements against the CM, he said, “Criticising Thackeray family is employee guarantee scheme for them.”
The Sena chief also slammed those leaders who switched sides, and said that the BJP was misusing central agencies. “Those who couldn’t sleep peacefully can now sleep well after joining the BJP. If you have the courage, give a challenge in front of us. Don’t take the route of ED, CBI, central agencies,” he said.
Takes on Mohan Bhagwat over his speech
“The ideology of Sena and RSS is the same. If you would have kept the word given to Sena, you could have remained the CM. I will make a Shiv Sainik a CM. This isn’t my field. Politics isn’t my field. I am criticised for it. It is right. I am not someone with a jhola. I don’t believe in humbug,” said the Sena chief. “I want to tell Bhagwat ji, if our own people are not going to listen to us, what is the use of such rallies? I want to tell you, Mohanji, Hindutva is rashtriyatva. Keep religion in your house. Outside the house, the country is my religion. This is what has been taught to us. But if someone comes in between, we will stand staunchly as Hindus. That is our teaching.”
“In our country, it is true that our ancestors are the same. Then are the ancestors of those at Lakhimpur, of those protesting farmers, from space? Are the opposition’s ancestors from another planet? Do you agree with this, Mohanji?” he said.
Thackeray invoked the freedom struggle, saying Punjab, Maharashtra and West Bengal had led the way to independence. “Maharashtra, Bengal, Punjab were ahead during the freedom struggle: Lal, Bal, Pal. I appreciate Mamata Didi. You showed what Bengal can do. We will have to show ‘Har Har Mahadev’ to Delhi, if we are pushed to do so.”
Position on Savarkar
Speaking on the recent controversy over Veer Savarkar, he said, “Hinduism is under threat from these neo-Hindus. Are we worthy of speaking of Savarkar, are we worthy of speaking of Gandhi? Mohan Bhagwat had himself said, these mob lynchers aren’t Hindus.”
Targeting the BJP, Thackeray said, “I give you an open challenge: bring down our government if you can. You have been trying for 2 years now.” He questioned the BJP about taking corrupt leaders into its fold. “Sewer water that comes to you turns into Ganga. What is this? Will you target anyone’s wife, children? This isn’t Hindutva. If you have the courage, attack us from the front.” He also mocked the party. “This is the world’s largest party, but it doesn’t have its own candidate. It needs to borrow candidates from outside,” he said.
‘Maharashtra being singled out’
“The governor wrote to me. I requested him to hold a special parliamentary session on women’s safety. What to do for women’s safety? Better laws? We are doing it. Putting culprits behind the bars? We are doing it. What else? But Maharashtra is being treated differently,” said the CM. “If anything happens in Maharashtra, some start crying hoarse. If there is no democracy in Maharashtra, is there great democracy in Uttar Pradesh? The police which fought the terrorists on 26/11, you call them mafia? Akhilesh Yadav was stopped. If my police are mafia, are theirs ‘Bharat Bhushans’?”
Thackeray said that the freedom struggle won India its freedom, and constitutional framework. “But that federal structure is being undermined at present. The Centre cannot intervene in day-to-day matters of states. That is federalism,” he said.
‘BJP addicted to power’
“This is an addiction to power. You are destroying others due to this addiction. 75 per cent of the CSR fund of 11 ports of the country has been turned towards Gujarat. Why? Charas, ganja is being found only in Maharashtra is the impression given out. Why? Mundra port of Adani had drugs worth thousands of crores. You are sniffing on a pinch of drugs. At that time, my Maharashtra police seized drugs worth Rs 150 crore. But the only news is, did he get bail?”
Hint towards Aryan Khan?
“The youth is being branded as criminals. This youth power will turn against you like a bomb. Am not speaking for one youth. But there is no job for them, no opportunities. If they aren’t inculcated well, the rulers will have to bear the brunt of it,” he said.
Uddhav likened the BJP to a jilted lover in a case of one-sided love. “Like the one who can’t take rejection from a girl, throws acid on her face. You throw acid on our culture,” he said.
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