Uddhav Thackeray: “Even Pakistan can see who is the real Sena, but EC cannot”

Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Sunday that while even neighboring Pakistan would likely admit who the ‘real’ Shiv Sena was, the ‘fact’ eluded the Election Commission of India (ECI).

Addressing a mass rally of his Sena faction at Pachora in Jalgaon district (north Maharashtra), Mr Thackeray, while taking aim at the ruling Eknath Shinde-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) dispensation, lashed out at the ECI for awarding party ‘bow and arrow’ symbol to Shinde ‘rebel’ faction.

“Looking at the huge crowd gathered here (in Pachora), even Pakistan will admit who the ‘real’ Sena is… but our ECI, blind like Dhritarashtra (alluding to King Kaurava in the Mahabharata), cannot see this,” said the former Chief Minister of the previous government of Maha Vikas Aghadi.

He further said that with the Supreme Court decision (on the petition to disqualify 16 Shinde camp ‘rebel’ MLAs) pending, the BJP was constantly on the lookout to try to split the rest of the Shiv Sena (UBT), the NCP and Congress if the court verdict went against you.

Challenging the Shinde-BJP government to contest the elections now, Mr Thackeray called on Shiv Sainik’s cadre to “revenge the slander of Shiv Sena” made by CM Eknath Shinde.

“If you (Shinde Sena-BJP) really have the courage, then I challenge you to hold an election right now. You (the ruling parties) are seeking votes using the name of Prime Minister Modi, while I am seeking votes on behalf of my father (the late Sena founder Bal Thackeray). Let’s see who Maharashtra chooses,” the Sena (UBT) chief said, adding that he was not looking for sympathy, rather he wanted his Shiv Sainiks to “take revenge” on the Sena ‘rebels’.

Calling the Shinde-BJP regime an “out of season government”, Mr Thackeray, commenting on Mr Shinde’s revolt, said: “Those who were elected (40 MLAs from the Shinde faction) have turned traitorous. But those who elected them (Seine painting) are still with me… we must wash away this stain of treason”.

unmanly behavior

Slamming Union Home Minister and BJP senior leader Amit Shah for allegedly deploying central agencies and harassing opposition leaders, Mr Thackeray challenged the BJP to arrest all Seine (UBT) leaders, and noted that they would organize a ‘jail bharo’ for the benefit of the ruling party.

“The ED and the CBI have been harassing all those who are loyal to me. Will you (BJP) arrest us all? we will make a bharo jail once and for all. He can bring cases against us later,” Thackeray said, noting that the BJP’s harassment was an example of ‘unmanly behaviour’.

He said that the BJP itself was not a challenge, but to compensate the “damage” that the ruling party was doing in the State and in the Center, it was.

“enough of this ab ki baar government (referring to the Modi government). It is time to turn this (BJP) government around. He has no answer to (former Jammu and Kashmir Governor) Satya Palik’s allegations about the 2019 Pulwama terror attack. Are we going to waste the lives of soldiers for the sake of BJP winning elections, said Mr. Thackeray.

This was Thackeray’s third rally of his party after those in Khed and Malegaon. Jalgaon is considered a stronghold of Shinde’s country minister Gulabrao Patil.