PM should have thought of cross-border activities by Pakistan before holding a dialogue with Nawaz Sharif, says Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray; Modi has accepted the Pak PM’s invite to visit country next year
A day after BJP president Amit Shah appealed to party workers that they should work in such a way that the party doesn’t need the crutches of any ally (read: Shiv Sena), Sena president Uddhav Thackeray decided to hit the BJP where it hurts the most.
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Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said Modi’s meeting with Nawaz Sharif was “unfortunate”. File pic
He challenged Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to teach Pakistan a lesson instead of fostering a dialogue with its premier, and suggested that the BJP-led governments in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were most corrupt. Thackeray said that Modi’s meeting with Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia, was unfortunate.
PM Narendra Modi and his Pakistan counterpart Nawaz Sharif in Ufa, Russia. Pic/PTI
“People say nothing has changed. What happened in the erstwhile government is being repeated now,” he told reporters at his Bandra residence, Matoshree. The two premiers met on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit and decided to revive the stalled talks process between the two countries.
Modi also agreed to visit Pakistan for the SAARC summit next year. Referring to a firing incident at Indo-Pakistan border, in which a Border Security Force jawan was killed, Thackeray said the PM should have first checked cross-border skirmishes triggered by the Pakistan army.
He said the Pakistan army’s hands are stained with the blood of Indian soldiers. “We know that Modi has the courage and conviction. People have great expectations from Modi,” he said, adding that the cross-border operation in Myanmar was an example of how the enemy could be controlled.
mid-day had reported yesterday on Shah’s July 9 meeting with leaders from Maharashtra, Gujarat and Goa, which had failed to enthuse its audience. When asked about Shah’s appeal to party workers, a sarcastic Uddhav said he did not know whether the people wanted governments like the BJP’s rule in Rajasthan and MP (where the respective chief ministers are mired in controversies).
Thackeray’s statements are seen as a counter to Shah’s appeal and the bossing of the Sena at the hands of the BJP in the state and Centre. The Sena chief is reportedly miffed over the BJP’s attempt to outsmart him in protecting the Ganesh mandals in the state, which have been restrained by the High Court from erecting pandals on the streets.
Mumbai BJP president Ashish Shelar had a meeting with the CM a day before Uddhav was to meet Fadnavis to resolve the issue. Shelar claimed the credit for convincing the CM to protect the mandals before Thackeray could present the case before Fadnavis.
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