MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) President and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray grappled salvos by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah against the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) allies, at the height of the Assembly poll campaign.
At an election rally in Nashik on Friday, PM Modi had thrown the gauntlet at MVA leaders, particularly Thackeray, asking him to coax the Congress’ Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi to speak a few words glorifying the late Balasaheb Thackeray, the founder of the (undivided) Shiv Sena.
Taking a cue from the PM, HM Shah spoke on similar lines a couple of days ago in what was construed as an endeavour to sow discord among the MVA allies, especially Congress vis-a-vis the SS(UBT)-Nationalist Congress Party (SP).
Finally, Thackeray on Sunday night at a poll rally, accepted the challenge and hit back at the Modi-Shah duo, virtually defending Rahul Gandhi from the dual assault by them in the campaign cacophony.
“During the Lok Sabha (2024) election campaign rally at Shivaji Park, Rahul Gandhi had gone to the memorial of Balasaheb Thackeray and paid homage to him, before the public meeting there, ” said Thackeray.
Continuing in his hard-hitting vein, he said that in case the Bharatiya Janata Party’s cronies had not informed of this, “then I can send you a video of that occasion” of March 17, 2024.
After the SS(UBT) chief’s statement, many television channels and social media networks were seen furiously flashing that clip of Rahul Gandhi paying solemn respects at the Balasaheb Thackeray memorial in a corner of the CSM Park, also known as the ‘cradle of Indian cricket’.
Hitting out at the PM, Thackeray said: “You all know… Rahul Gandhi has never questioned my antecedents, but PM Modi had called me a ‘nakli santaan’ (fake offspring) of my father during the LS elections.”
The former CM also castigated the ruling Mahayuti government and BJP for diverting several mega-projects to Gujarat and other states, depriving Maharashtra of the benefits of big investments, creating huge job opportunities and enabling a quicker pace of development.
Thackeray also reiterated how he practiced an all-inclusive ‘Hindutva’ of Balasaheb Thackeray that has earned the SS(UBT) and MVA huge support of the Muslims and other minorities, and slammed the BJP’s divisive slogans like ‘Batenge to Katenge (divided you perish)’ during the election canvassing.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi is slated to arrive for his second round of polls campaign in the state on November 12, 14 16, and Priyanka Vadra will also be here on November 13, 16, 17, when they are likely to respond to the latest row brewed up by the PM's remarks.