Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday urged his supporters to use the slogans ‘Jai Shivaji’ and ‘Jai Bhavani’ in response to the BJP’s ‘Jai Shri Ram,’ accusing the ruling party of dividing society.
While addressing Shiv Sena (UBT) workers in the eastern suburb of Mulund, near Thane, Uddhav Thackeray compared the BJP-led regime to Nazi Germany under Adolf Hitler.
“If anyone says Jai Shri Ram, make sure you also say Jai Shivaji and Jai Bhavani before they leave. The BJP has poisoned our society. I will give them a tough fight for what they have done,” Thackeray said.
Uddhav Thackeray also raised concerns about the BJP’s commitment to the country, pointing out its contradictory stance on international sports events.
He highlighted that while the BJP had previously opposed sporting events with Pakistan, India is now engaging in cricket matches with both Pakistan and Bangladesh.
Responding to a recent remark made by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis in the legislative assembly, “I am not Uddhav Thackeray to stay ongoing projects,” Thackeray, who held the CM post for over two years, said, “If Fadnavis wants to emulate me, he should announce loan waivers for farmers and allocate revised funds for initiatives like Shiv Bhojan and Ladki Bahin schemes in the upcoming budget on March 10.”
Thackeray claimed that during his tenure as CM, he had paused certain projects and would have moved the Metro-3 car shed to Kanjur Marg if he had remained in office longer. He alleged that the land now stands allocated to the Adani group.
The dispute over the Mumbai Metro-3 car shed site between the BJP and Thackeray’s party began after the collapse of the Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in 2022.
Following Eknath Shinde’s rebellion and the BJP’s return to power, the new government decided to set up the Metro car shed at Aarey in the western suburbs. Thackeray, however, had wanted it moved to Kanjur Marg on the eastern side.
Thackeray also took the opportunity to remind Fadnavis, “We need to tell Fadnavis that the coastal road was constructed by me. I did the groundbreaking ceremony for that road.”
With PTI inputs