Undeterred by the split in the party following the rebellion by Eknath Shinde and 39 others, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday dares the erstwhile ally BJP and the union home minister Amit Shah to hold simultaneously hold BMC and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections in a month.
Uddhav at the well-attended maiden meeting of the booth coordinators after the rebellion and the fall of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government exhorted them to gear up for upcoming BMC elections and foil BJP’s attempt to divide the Marathi and Non-Marathi-speaking people and also Hindu and Muslim in the city. ‘’Devendra Fadnavis has declared that for BJP the upcoming BMC elections is the last election, however, everyone should treat it as the first election and work tirelessly for the party’s victory,’’ he said.
Uddhav, who was accompanied by his son Aaditya and veteran party leaders on the dais, led a blistering attack against the BJP saying that it was making all efforts to gain control over Mumbai which is the financial and commercial capital of the country. ‘’Think seriously, already Amit Shah came and declared BJP’s plan, now I hear Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting the city. Therefore, I want a commitment from you to work hard, keep the shakhas open and increase the outreach with voters ahead of the elections,’’ he said.
Terming BJP as Kamlabai(referring to its poll symbol Lotus), Uddhav questioned what is its connection with Mumbai. BJP remembers Mumbai when elections are round the corner. ‘’Shiv Sena means faith, support and therefore Mumbaikars have faith in it. Shiv Sainiks have been at the forefront during every crisis in the city,’’ he said.
Uddhav alleged that BJP wants to take away every project to Gujarat. ‘’The international finance centre should have come up in Mumbai but it has been shifted to Gujarat. Shiv Sena wants that the IFC should come up in Dharavi after it is being redeveloped,’’ he said.
Referring to the loss of the Vedanta Foxconn project to Gujarat, Uddhav said they (The shinde-Fadnavis duo) are indulged in a blame game. ‘’It is quite strange that after the project moved out of Maharashtra, the Centre has announced a slew of concessions for the development of the ecosystem for the semiconductors industry. I am ready to join hands within the state government to bring back the project to Maharashtra,’’ he declared.
