Shiv Sena abandoned Hindutva, acting on directions from 10 Janpath: Navneet Rana

Independent MP Navneet Rana arrives to offer prayers with her husband Ravi Rana at t Hanuman temple in New Delhi. Pic/Pallav Paliwal

Sharpening attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Independent Lok Sabha member Navneet Rana accused him of deviating from the path shown by Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray and acting on the directions of 'Matoshree' residing in 10, Janpath.

Rana, along with her husband Independent Maharashtra MLA Ravi Rana, also hit out at Thackeray for not mentioning the "burning issues" of farm distress and unemployment in his rally in Mumbai on Saturday.

"Shiv Sena had declared that it will change the name of Aurangabad to Sambhaji Nagar, but now the chief minister claims that it was not required," the Rana couple said at a press conference here.

They said Thackeray was worried that if he followed up on the long-standing promise to rename Aurangabad, Shiv Sena's alliance partners would withdraw support and the government would fall.

"The chief minister only has fear in his mind," Navneet said, accusing the Shiv Sena of abandoning the path of Hindutva.

Ravi Rana said Balasaheb Thackeray had famously declared that he would disband the Shiv Sena if he had to join hands with the Congress.

"But, Uddhav Thackeray has discarded the ideals of Balasaheb Thackeray and is now acting as per the directions of the 'Matoshree' of 10, Janpath," Rana couple said in an apparent reference to Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

They also accused Thackeray of misusing power to slap sedition charges on those reciting Hanuman Chalisa, and allowing persons offering flowers at the grave of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb go scot free.

"Had Balasaheb Thackeray been around, such persons would have been buried in the same grave as Aurangzeb. How dare a person from another state come here and offer flowers on the grave of Aurangzeb," Navneet Rana said, referring to the visit of AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi to Khuldabad, where the grave of Aurangzeb is located.

"Uddhav Thackeray claims to be a Hinutuva vadi. Has he set out on the path of Aurangzeb? Has Shiv Sena become Aurangzeb Sena," she asked.

The Rana couple also showered praise on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and former Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

Thackeray as chief minister has not achieved even a fraction of the work that was carried out during the tenure of Fadnavis.

"Fadnavis worked for the people. They still yearn for him to be the chief minister. You sought votes in the name of Modi and then backstabbed him," Ravi Rana, the MLA from Badnera said.

Navneet Rana said she was still nursing the wounds of being jailed by the Maharashtra government for reciting Hanuman Chalisa and Thackeray can feel her pain only when a woman from his family is jailed for no fault of hers.

"When Uddhav Thackeray will no longer be chief minister and Rashmi Thackeray is jailed, I will ask him if he feels the pain," Navneet Rana said, referring to the chief minister's wife.