Amid a maze of speculation about the alleged fragility of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) troika, the Opposition staged a strong show of solidarity in Nagpur on April 16, with Sena (UBT) leader and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray taking on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accusing it of having transformed democracy into “a dahi handi, breaking governments wherever they saw an opportunity”.
Attacking the ruling Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra, Mr. Thackeray said Maharashtra was “a State of heroes, not traitors who stabbed people behind the back”.
“This is an unseasonal government… Everyone today must strive to defend the Constitution. What is this government doing to alleviate the plight of its farmers reeling under frequent hailstorms. In contrast, in our [previous MVA government’s] very first Assembly Session in Nagpur, we had not only announced but also implemented the waiver of crop loans to farmers up to ₹2 lakh,” said Mr. Thackeray, addressing the second ‘Vajramooth’ rally of the MVA alliance.
`Forsaken’ ideals
Rattling sabres with the Shinde camp and the BJP over the latter’s oft-directed accusation that Mr. Thackeray had ‘forsaken’ Hindutva ideals by allying with the ideologically opposed Congress and NCP, Mr. Thackeray riposted: “Had Hindutva been coursing in Shinde’s veins, he would have first visited Ayodhya and not scampered away to Guwahati, after his revolt last year. In contrast, when I went to Ayodhya, not only was my colleague Sanjay Raut there, but I am proud to say that even [senior Congressman] Sunil Kedar accompanied me.”
The former CM accused the BJP of falsely taking credit for the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya and belittling the contribution of late Sena founder Bal Thackeray and Shiv Sainiks, in the Babri mosque demolition.
“They [the BJP] keep accusing me of having forsaken Hindutva because I have allied with the Congress. Are there no Hindus in the Congress? Their Hindutva is only based on Gaumutra (cow urine),” said Mr. Thackeray, attacking the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).
“Mohan Bhagwat too, has visited a mosque. But what if I had visited a mosque? They [BJP] would have swiftly accused me of having left Hindutva…It was the BJP who had first broken our alliance in 2014, and not us,” said Mr. Thackeray.
Talking about PM Modi and the Central Government over the Adani-Hindenburg report case, Mr. Thackeray further said that if the Hindenburg report was indeed an attack on the country as the BJP kept claiming, then the country had a right to an answer from the government as to why that was so.
“When Rahul Gandhi questioned the Modi government on Adani’s finances, he was disqualified and hounded. There is now a possibility that Arvind Kejriwal will now be thrown in jail,” said the Sena (UBT) chief.
‘Star’ of the show
As with the previous MVA rally in Sambhajinagar, Mr. Thackeray was clearly the ‘star’ of the show, implying that the MVA was projecting him as the Leader of the Opposition.
In a show of unity amid talk that NCP leader Ajit Pawar and a section of NCP leaders could well join the ruling BJP-Shinde dispensation, all top MVA brass were present at the rally with much bonhomie on display between the Sena (UBT), the Congress and the NCP leaders.
Mr. Thackeray was seen chatting amiably with Ajit Pawar and senior Congressman Balasaheb Thorat, who both flanked the former Chief Minister.
State Congress chief Nana Patole, who was absent at the Sambhajinagar rally, was present this time as were the Thackeray camp bigwigs including Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut, along with Sena (UBT) MPs Arvind Sawant and Vinayak Raut.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Patole said that the ruling parties had tried their best to prevent the MVA from holding the Nagpur rally.
“They had staged a riot prior to our Sambhajinagar rally as well in a bid to heighten social tensions between the two communities. Let me tell that Nagpur is not the BJP’s bastion but that of Babasaheb Ambedkar’s,” Mr. Patole said.
NCP State president Jayant Patil said that the Shinde-Fadnavis government lacked the courage to hold elections as they feared the growing strength of the Opposition.
“All Shiv Sainiks in Maharashtra stand firmly behind Uddhav Thackeray. The ruling parties fear the MVA’s Vajramooth rallies,” said Mr. Patil.
“Had Hindutva been coursing in Shinde’s veins, he would have first visited Ayodhya and not scampered away to Guwahati, after his revolt last year”Uddhav Thackeray Sena (UBT) leader and former Chief Minister
