Mumbai: Shiv Sena-UBT President and former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday said that the new NDA 3.0 will not last long and it will collapse soon owing to its own contradictions, while ruling out any possibility of a patch-up with the Bharatiya Janata Party.
“The NDA government will fall… We want it to fall, and mid-term Lok Sabha elections must be conducted. The INDIA bloc will win and come to power,” roared Thackeray at the party’s 58th Foundation Day.
Targeting the BJP, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is propped up by Nitish Kumar, of the Janata Dal-United, and Chandrababu Naidu, of the Telugu Desam Party, and all the three had indulged in calling each other names in the past.
“They (Nitish Kumar and Naidu) have made big promises to the Muslims and other sections in their respective states of Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. Is it all acceptable to the BJP and Modi… will they make their stand clear on it?” he demanded.
Countering the BJP’s charge that his SS-UBT had abandoned Hindutva and was getting only Muslim votes, Thackeray shot back, saying that “all patriotic people in the country had voted decisively for the INDIA-Maha Vikas Aghadi and SS-UBT, including Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Dalits, Buddhists, and other communities who love the country and to save democracy and constitution”.
“You question our Hindutva just because we allied with the Congress… But first look at yourself, how many of your allies speak of Hindutva? Are Nitish Kumar and Naidu Hindutvavadi by any yardstick?” he questioned.
“After the elections, you spread rumours that I am going to return to the NDA. I ask you all: Do you want to go back to those traitors who broke our party, took away the name and the symbol?” Thackeray asked, eliciting a thunderous no from the gathering.
Without taking names, he took a potshot at his estranged cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena President Raj Thackeray for offering “unconditional” support to the NDA, “just because they didn’t want Uddhav Thackeray”.
Attacking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, he dared him to fight the Assembly elections without using the late Balasaheb Thackeray’s name and photos, the Shiv Sena name and symbol, and contest on a different symbol, use his father’s pictures, and “then tell us your strike rate”.
Hitting back at Shinde for labelling the Opposition as “urban Naxals”, Thackeray said that those who break parties, misuse central investigating agencies, and scare the Opposition are the “urban Naxals”.
“The battle has begun, there’s no stopping till the final victory is achieved. We are waiting for the Supreme Court verdict on the disqualification issue… So far, it’s just ‘tarikh pe tarikh’ (date upon date) of hearings. I request the SC to tell us how long it will take to deliver its order. This is not a personal battle but a sincere effort to save the country’s democracy and the constitution,” he said.
On the Maharashtra Assembly elections slated for October, Thackeray said that he was confident that the MVA would be voted to power.
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