Uddhav Thackeray
Credit: PTI Photo
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar/Nashik: Is it the BJP's culture to campaign for leaders like Abdul Sattar who made objectionable remarks against NCP(SP) MP Surpiya Sule, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said in a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday.
The PM had campaigned here on Thursday. Sillod is part of the district. State minister Sattar is the sitting MLA from the seat.
"I want to ask the PM if this if the culture of BJP to campaign for such persons. Sattar used objectionable remarks against Sule on camera. The BJP also campaigned for Prajwal Revanna in Karnataka," Thackeray said while seeking votes for his party candidate Suresh Bankar, who is up against Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena's Sattar.
Revanna of the JD(S) was arrested on May 31 this year after he was accused of sexually abusing several persons.
Thackeray said people must get together to "wash off this blot (referring to Sattar) from Sillod".
"He and his kin have grabbed land in Soygaon and Sillod. He has also tried to usurp government plots. The poll office here is on land he possesses illegally. We will probe all this if we come to power," Thackeray alleged.
In another swipe at the BJP, Thackeray claimed Muslim women wearing black clothes were not allowed to attend Modi's rally in Mumbai.
Thackeray's Shiv Sena (UBT) is part of the Maha Vikas Aghadi along with the Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP). It is up against the Mahayuti comprising the BJP, Shinde's Shiv Sena and Ajit Pawar's NCP.
Addressing a rally later in Nashik, Thackeray said a medical device park that would have given jobs to at least one lakh people in Maharashtra was shifted to Gujarat, adding that the BJP takes everything to the neighbouring state and then comes asking for votes here.
"To vote for them is an act of treachery. This is not a struggle for my survival but that of Maharashtra. I will fight for my state till my last breath," he said.
He slammed PM Modi for the latter's statement at a rally that the Shiv Sena (UBT) had given its "remote control" to the Congress.
"I will not allow the Congress to do so (control his party) even if they are our ally. The BJP only wants to loot Maharashtra. Asking questions on onions, soybean, unemployment is not allowed under BJP rule. During the Lok Sabha polls, a farmer who asked the PM to speak on onions was made to leave the rally," he said.
Warning that there could be clashes on polling day, Thackeray said the BJP must not frighten the Shiv Sena (UBT) with "EVMs, CBI and ED".
"I challenge the BJP to come and fight one-on-one. We will accept the people's mandate. If they will tell us to sit at home, we will do so. If they give a mandate against you, you will have to sit at home," he asserted.
"My father and grandfather had to quit studies as there was no money for fees. The situation for farmers and their children is similar. Our government will give free education to all. We will increase the honorarium of anganwadi workers, give Rs 3000 to women and lower the prices of five essential goods This is part of our 'vachannama'," he said.
Asserting that Maharashtra today was reeling under crimes and drugs, Thackeray said he would give the state governance the way his government tackled the COVID pandemic.
Thackeray said the BJP remembers Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar and Balasaheb Thackeray only during polls.
On the PM's dare that Thackeray must get Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to say a few goods words about Balasaheb Thackeray, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said Gandhi had paid tribute to the late Shiv Sena founder at a rally.
"If your love for Balasaheb Thackeray is real, then ask Amit Shah why he broke the promise made at Matoshree, which is like a temple for us," he said in a swipe at the PM.
Thackeray has often said the alliance with the BJP broke after the 2019 polls as the latter refused to honour its promise of sharing the chief ministerial tenure equally.
While the Election Commission asked the Shiv Sena (UBT) to remove some words from the 'mashaal' symbol song, it is not taking any action when Devendra Fadnavis gives a call for "dharyudh" (to counter vote jihad), Thackeray pointed out.
"When bodies of COVID victims were floating in the Ganga and deaths took place in BJP-ruled Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, my government gave meals to people at Rs 10 and also free. We also signed MoUs worth Rs 6.5 lakh crore. Tell me such achievements rather than talking about dharmyudh for votes," Thackeray said.
Meanwhile, former MLC Apoorva Hiray, former mayor Ashok Murtadak and some other leaders joined the Shiv Sena (UBT) at the Nashik rally.
Maharashtra assembly polls will be held on November 20, while results will be announced on November 23.
Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.
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