Mumbai: Shiv Sena UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday took a swipe at the BJP over ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ campaign, terming the initiative of the ruling party as ‘Saugat-e-Power’.
“BJP criticised me for abandoning Hindutva after the Muslim community voted for our party. The hypocrisy of the BJP has been exposed now with the ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ initiative. PM Modi said during the Lok Sabha campaign that Muslims would steal the mangalsutra. Is the mangalsutra of Hindus safe now? It is not a ‘Saugat-e-Modi’, but ‘Saugat-e-Power’,” said Uddhav Thackeray while addressing a press conference held a day after the conclusion of the Maharashtra Budget session.
Shiv Sena UBT Chief added that the BJP has clearly abandoned Hindutva to lure the Muslim community, adding that those who say that they will win, they will now distribute ‘Saugat-e-Modi’ keeping elections in mind.
“Is the gift only in keeping an eye on Bihar elections, or will it continue in the future as well? We had told the BJP that it should remove the green color from the Tricolor, but they did not remove it,” he said.
Thackeray also led a scathing attack against the MahaYuti government, saying that despite a brute majority, it presented a meaningless Budget without fulfilling a single promise given during the Assembly election.
“The Budget session was to hide its failure. The common man did not get anything from the Budget, in which the government has made many announcements. The government had made a 100-day resolution. But it is not known how many instructions were given to which department. Farmers’ suicides are on the rise. Guaranteed prices are not being received by the farmers,” he said.
He also added that there are other issues like attracting foreign universities, but no concrete solution plan has been made in the Budget.
“What happened in 100 days? The sarpanch from Beed was murdered, Somnath Suryavanshi was murdered. The Swargate rape case happened. There is a road scam in Mumbai. What happened to the loan waiver? They were going to increase the money for their beloved sisters. Journalist Prashant Koratkar (who insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) was found will he be punished? Rahul Solapurkar (who also made some objectionable comments on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj) is roaming around. The issue of communal riots in Nagpur is also a matter of concern,” he said while listing out the government’s failures on various fronts.
Shiv Sena UBT Chief said that again supported the stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and his satire song, referring to Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as ‘traitor’ that led to the ransacking of the studio by the Shiv Sena activists.
“Shiv Sena is one, I do not believe in the group of traitors of Shiv Sena (without naming Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde).”
Thackeray also slammed the Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over the Nagpur riots, saying that this is happening despite the government enjoying a roaring majority.
Speaking on the Disha Salian death case, Thackeray said, “What can I say about a case that I have no connection with. A case that I don’t know about?”
Commenting on the use of Balasaheb Thackeray’s photo by Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), he said that now everyone knows that there is no alternative except Balasaheb Thackeray’s leadership.
“Now all the parties have started to use Balasaheb Thackeray’s photo because they know that there is no other alternative,” he said.
Thackeray criticised the MahaYuti government for not taking a decision on the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly before the conclusion of the Budget session.
“The session of the legislature is over, but the Leader of the Opposition has not been appointed yet. This is called the grip of power. We have told the Governor how your government is suppressing the voice of the people,” he said while expressing his regret that the post of Leader of the Opposition is a constitutional post yet has been kept in abeyance.
Shiv Sena UBT had recommended the name of senior legislator Bhaskar Jadhav for the post of Leader of the Opposition. However, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has put the ball in the Assembly Speaker Rahul Narvekar’s court.
Thackeray also reminded the BJP-led MahaYuti government of the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial in the Arabian Sea.
“The foundation stone was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the first term of Devendra Fadnavis as the Chief Minister. It is unfortunate that we have to remind the government,” he added.
(IANS)
