Uddhav opposes branding of youths as anti-nationals
‘Wrong to label Kanhaiya anti-national’
Youth resentment cannot obtusely be branded ‘anti-national’, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said here on Sunday while referring to the JNU president Kanhaiya Kumar, who is currently touring Maharashtra, and his likes from the other states.
“If you feel they are following a wrong path, you need to speak to them, guide them properly and not just singlemindedly brand them anti-national,” Thackeray said while interacting with the media here on Sunday on the sidelines of a conclave of party leaders from northern Maharashtra.
Thackeray trained guns at Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming him over the issue.
“One will have to ponder over the issue of resentment amongst the youth if the country – where youth form the major part of the population – has to prosper,” Thackeray said.
“Why is our youth restless? Why has Kanhaiya been born? What is it that gave birth to Kanhaya? Why had Rohit Vemula to commit suicide? Why Hardik Patel had to agitate?” he questioned referring to the recent agitation in Gujarat for Patel reservation where the leader Hardik Patel was jailed on sedition charges for insulting the national flag.
“I’m kicking off a statewide round of interactions with party office-bearers from Nashik because when we begin things from here they are successful,” Thackeray said referring to party conclave here way back in 1994, “after which the party came to power in the state,” he said.
Thackeray also indicated that the possibilities of an alliance with the BJP are dim in the forthcoming elections.
“Our alliance basically was to strengthen the Hindutva thought. But, there was no alliance in the assembly elections as well as the corporation elections. It is as if that both the parties have come out of the mindset of an alliance,” Thackeray said.
When asked whether he feels that the BJP has left the Hindutva plank, he said, “I did not say that!” and added, “Every party has a right to grow and has to make efforts to grow.”
However, Thackeray avoided open criticism of the government. While replying to questions over the way the drought situation across the state is being handled, he said that his party members in the cabinet had submitted their assessment of the condition and suggestions to the government for action.
He also appealed that no politics be played over the drought condition in the state. “Everyone should work unitedly to fight out the drought situation. I appeal everybody including the opposition parties, media, and all others,” Thackeray said.
“If at all, I criticise the government over any incidence, the government should take it positively and take a corrective action and media too should not play it up as a political battle within the government,” he added.
Reacting to a question regarding the debate over smaller states, Uddhav questioned the need for smaller states and argued that smaller states breed instability.
“Why do you need small states? Do you want to make it like Uttarakhand? Even there the high court has lashed out at the Union government,” he said. Later, while speaking at the conclave Thackeray said that his party would decide on whether to continue alliance with the BJP at a later stage, but the next CM would be from the Shiv Sena.