Balasaheb would have slammed Uddhav for his ideological compromise: Eknath

Thane: Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena chief Eknath Shinde on Monday targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray, questioning his silence over the recent remarks made by Vijay Wadettiwar, the leader of the opposition in the state Assembly, concerning the martyred policemen of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

Wadettiwar’s claim on Sunday that late ATS chief Hemant Karkare was “not killed by terrorists during the 26/11 attacks” has snowballed into a political slugfest in Maharashtra.

After chairing a MahaYuti meeting over the poll preparations for party nominee Naresh Maske, CM Shinde claimed that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray would have ‘thrashed’ Uddhav Thackeray for his ideological compromise.

CM Shinde expressed concern over Wadettiwar’s remark, labelling it as both insensitive and infuriating, particularly given the sacrifices made by the policemen and innocent civilians during the 26/11 attacks.

“The statement by Vijay Wadettiwar regarding the martyred policemen and innocent Mumbaikars who lost their lives in the 26/11 attacks is highly irritating and infuriating. Vijay Wadettiwar seems to have lost his senses following the slogan of Rahul Gandhi, who is conducting the ‘Bharat Jodo Nahi, Bharat Todo Yatra’,” Shinde said.

The Chief Minister also stressed the longstanding commitment of organisations like the RSS to nationalistic values, invoking advocate Ujjwal Nikam’s pursuit of justice against traitors.

Criticising Uddhav Thackeray, he said, “No one becomes a Hindu by merely saying ‘I am a Hindu’. Had Hindu ‘Hridya Samrat’ Balasaheb Thackeray been around today, he would have been deeply offended. People will not rest without seeking revenge for this insult (by Wadettiwar).”