Sena was Hindutva, remains Hindutva: Uddhav
Amid the ‘Azaan-Hanuman Chalisa’ row, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at the BJP and MNS, reiterating that the Shiv Sena did not need to burnish its pro-Hindutva credentials as the party had never quit it. Thackeray said the Centre should take a decision on banning the use of loudspeakers not just in mosques but in all religious places, as per the Supreme Court order. He was referring to the Uttar Pradesh government’s move to remove loudspeakers from mosques in a bid to raise awareness on noise pollution.
Without naming his estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, the CM clarified that he was not paying attention to new players in Hindutva for lack of their consistency on the issue. “Rake up the Marathi issue and later, shift to Hindutva. The people of Maharashtra have seen such gimmicks. If it’s free entertainment, why not watch it?” he asked. His statement came on a day when Raj Thackeray addressed a rally at Aurangabad, his third rally after similar events in Dadar and Thane, criticising the Shiv Sena and Maha Vikas Aghadi government.
CM Thackeray also picked on the BJP, which had organised a ‘booster dose’ rally in Mumbai on Sunday.
“All will have to follow the prescribed decibel levels (as per the Supreme Court order),” he said Thackeray.
“Don’t think Hindus are ignorant. Hindus speak many languages in our country. Needless to say, we are Hindus. Why must different flags be used (referring to the MNS’s move to change its flag to a saffron flag), we (Shiv Sena) have not changed ours,” said Thackeray.
Thackeray said during the pandemic, the government work did not come to a grinding halt. “Farmers contributed to the economy. The pace slowed but did not stop. We went ahead in every field.
Maharashtra’s CM is consistently ranked fifth in the survey. The credit goes to the employees, whose contribution was crucial for the state,” he said.
Thackeray took a swipe at the BJP and MNS for firing salvos against the state government, instead of having the grace to praise its good work. “Instead of showering praise, they (opposition) accused the state government of corruption and failure in law and order. This is the time to give support to the people in Maharashtra when the state economy is reviving and normalcy is being restored,” he opined.
He admitted that he had been missing a healthy and cordial relationship with the opposition, in the manner of arch rivals Balasaheb Thackeray and Sharad Pawar. “There is no similar dialogue these days,” he said.
He justified his rebuttal of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s criticism of the MVA government for not reducing the prices of petrol and diesel. “The aim was not to mislead the people. Ours is a three-party government. People will decide in the election whether it is right or wrong. Until then, don’t make desperate attempts to overthrow the government,” he said.
As for a recent revelation by BJP legislator Ashish Shelar about an alliance among the BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena that was decided in 2017 but did not materialise, Thackeray said he was not aware of ‘hidden developments’.