Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched his most blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) since the split in the alliance.
“The BJP does not have leaders in Maharashtra and that’s why it has called Narendra Modi to campaign. Is he going to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra?” he asked at a rally in Vidarbha’s Akola district.
Accusing the BJP of betraying the Shiv Sena by breaking the alliance, the Sena chief said, “During the Lok Sabha elections, we asked people to vote for Narendra Modi. It is unfortunate that today he is not asking for votes for the Shiv Sena.”
He accused the BJP of betraying the Shiv Sena and “stabbing us in the back.”
Mr. Thackeray said the Sena had stood by its ally for 25 years only to be let down.
“We supported you, but you kicked us. How can we trust you? The anger against that is evident in the corners of Maharashtra. That anger among the people is our capital.”
Mr. Thackeray accused the BJP of betraying other allies too, in a reference to the collapse of the alliance in Haryana.
“Before the Lok Sabha polls, you got close to your allies but later you decided you did not need them,” he said.
Moving away from HindutvaMr. Thackeray also accused the BJP of moving away from Hindutva. “The Shiv Sena stands for Hindutva, the Hindutva that you no longer seem to want,” he said.
