Mumbai: A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister, Uddhav Thackeray, excoriated the BJP ruled-central government, alleging that Shiv Sena had wasted 25 years in alliance with it, the former ally-turned-foe came down harshly, with its member Devendra Fadnavis pointing out that it was Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray who had forged the saffron alliance.
“If you say you were rotting in the alliance for 25 years, then are you pointing a finger at Balasaheb Thackeray?” Fadnavis asked. He pointed out that Balasaheb Thackeray had led the saffron alliance till 2012.
Uddhav had on Sunday attacked BJP in his address to Shiv Sainiks on Balasaheb’s 96th birth anniversary.
The new spat between the former allies comes ahead of the crucial BMC polls scheduled to be held this year.
Fadnavis said Uddhav’s angst against BJP stemmed from the fact that in the recent local body elections across the state, the party stood first, while Shiv Sena came in fourth. He pointed out that BJP had a corporator in Mumbai even before Sena was born. In the 1984 Lok polls, Sena candidates like Manohar Joshi had contested on a BJP symbol, he added.
Fadnavis alleged that Sena’s Hindutva was only on paper. Rubbishing its involvement in the agitation for the Ram janmabhoomi, he said, “You were only making speeches while it was our people who faced sticks and bullets. ” He added that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who is building the Ram temple at Ayodhya.
“Till date, Shiv Sena has not been able to resolve the issue of Shivaji’s fort at Kalyan or that of Malang-gad. Nor could you rename Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar or Osmanabad as Dharashiv, while Allahabad has been renamed as Prayagraj,” he said.
He dismissed Sena’s claim that there was a wave in favour of the party after the Babri Masjid demolition and it could have governed the country had it contested the polls. Fadnavis said Uddhav had a very selective memory.
