Mumbai: Political parties on Saturday sounded the poll bugle for the civic elections with mega rallies across the city. The campaigning is likely to continue over the weekend.
At the party’s first rally at Chira Bazar, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray hit out at former partner Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for raising the issue of transparency even as a Central report has lauded Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation for its clean functioning.
Mr. Thackeray warned BJP chief Amit Shah that this is no friendly match the Sena is playing, but this is rather a battle for Marathi pride. “This is not a friendly match, Mr. Shah. You have lost a friend who stood by you in difficult times. This is a fight for Marathi pride.”
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The Sena chief did not even spare Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and thanked him for making Sena cadre charged up by his statements. He claimed that most BJP promises are ‘poll bluff’ when even the party’s earlier promises have not been fulfilled.
“The CM said he will show us our aukat , but he must remember that when previous CM Prithviraj Chavan had said the same, he was wiped out from active politics. I must thank Mr. Fadnavis for this statement and want to tell him even his next few generations can’t finish the Sena.”
Mr. Thackeray said the BJP is a party of bluffers and from Shivaji memorial to Ambedkar statue to crop loan waiver for farmers, the BJP has been fooling voters with false promises.
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He chided the BJP by calling it an ‘international party with members even on moon’. But even then the party could not find a CM candidate in a small State like Goa, the Sena chief said. “I thank party workers who did not rebel or field themselves as independents in frustration. I now appeal to voters to look at the Sena as a party of development and vote for us.”
NCP campaign
Meanwhile, kick-starting the poll campaign for the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) at Mankhurd, party leader Supriya Sule said both the BJP and the Sena are part of the ‘mafia raj’ in the Mumbai corporation. Urging voters to give her party a chance at the helm, Ms. Sule pointed out that schools under the NCP-ruled corporations have fewer dropouts and are in good condition through the year.
“Their (BJP and Sena) ‘mafia raj’ also extends to the garbage mechanism of Mumbai. If schools and civic services are delivered effectively in the corporations where the NCP is in rule, I want to ask why it can’t be done in Mumbai as well,” said Ms. Sule.