Launching a scathing attack on former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday accused the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief of “surrendering at the feet of Sharad Pawar”, adding the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies has set a target of winning all 48 seats in Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.
Addressing a gathering of BJP workers in Kolhapur, he lashed out against Thackeray for “surrendering at the feet of (Nationalist Party Congress chief) Sharad Pawar” to become chief minister.
Shah said, “Hinduhriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray’s Shiv Sena was surrendered at the feet of Sharad Pawar. (Thackeray) contested Assembly elections with us with the largest cut-outs being that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But after the results were out, he (Thackeray) surrendered at the feet of Pawar.”
He asserted the BJP never sacrificed its principles and said, “We are not greedy for power nor have we ever sacrificed our principles. The last Maharashtra assembly election was contested under the leadership of then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. PM Modi and I had openly said this during our rallies. Despite this, (Thackeray) joined hands with the opposition.”
Thackeray had broken the alliance with BJP after the 2019 Assembly poll results were declared claiming the latter had reneged on its promise to share the chief ministerial tenure with the Shiv Sena. He tied up with the NCP and Congress and led the Maha Vikas Aghadi, till a rebellion by Eknath Shinde brought it down in June last year.
Hailing the Election Commission’s decision on Friday to recognise the Shinde faction as the real Shiv Sena and giving it the bow and arrow symbol, Shah said they (Thackeray group) will now learn a lesson.
Without naming Thackeray, he said, while one can attain power for few days, “but when it comes to the battlefield, you need courage to win.”
He further told his party workers, “in 2019, the BJP and its allies won 42 out of 48 seats. This time, we should win all 48 seats.”
The BJP and Shiv Sena are engaged in a war of words in the wake of the Election Commission’s decision of recognising the faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as the real Shiv Sena.
Uddhav Thackeray has cried foul as his father Bal Thackeray founded the outfit in 1966. “You want my father’s face, but not his son. I was ready to come along. If you ditch me when I wanted to implement a promise given to my father, what should I do?” he told a gathering on Sunday.
“I never wanted to be a chief minister, but was asked by Congress and NCP to take over because otherwise a government could not have been formed. Had BJP honoured the commitment given, both Shiv Sena and BJP would have got their chief ministers for two-and-a-half years each,” he said.
Taking a jibe at Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Thackeray said, “‘Mogambo khush hua’ on the Election Commission order.”
(With PTI inputs)
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