Sena (UBT) chief predicts downfall of NDA govt on Shiv Sena foundation day, supporters slam rebels
Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray addresses party workers at Shanmukhananda hall on the occasion of the Shiv Sena’s foundation day. Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi
On Shiv Sena’s foundation day, soon after the Lok Sabha election, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray acknowledged his new voter base comprising Marathi speakers,
Hindus, minorities and scheduled caste communities.
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“They claim Shiv Sena has won on the votes of Muslims. Yes, we have. We have won on the votes of all nationalists. This includes the Marathi manoos, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, Dalits, Buddhists and Christians. I thank them all,” Thackeray said.
This year marks the 58th anniversary of Shiv Sena’s formation. The celebrations by the UBT faction at Shanmukhananda hall in Matunga were attended by some long-time party workers.
“I have been with Shiv Sena since its formation. Unlike the traitors, we are the real Shiv Sainiks who stand by the decisions taken by our paksha pramukh,” said 68-year-old Prabhadevi resident Satish Golatkar.
For those like him, the annual function on June 19 signals the direction of the party. “This is when our party chief hints at what we at the ground level should be doing,” said Gorakhnath Pawar, who has been with Sena (UBT) shaka for the past 30 years.
There were cheers when Thackeray said, “The BJP has started spreading rumours that Uddhav will join the NDA again. Those who tried to destroy Shiv Sena, there is no going back to them.”
However, the response from the crowd was not as resounding when Thackeray defended his stand on Hindutva. “We do not accept Gaumutra Hindutva. We do not accept Hindutva of thread. Our Hindutva is about taking everybody forward.”
The Shiv Sainiks responded well to every attack against the NDA. “I am of the opinion that this government will not last. I declare that it has to fall,” Thackeray said, after which the auditorium erupted with whistles and claps.
Interestingly, he invoked the names of YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and senior journalists like Ravish Kumar and Nikhil Wagle. “All of them have helped us win and we thank them,” he said.
Furthermore, Thackeray criticised the BJP’s decision to involve Bhupendra Yadav and Ashwini Vaishnaw in overseeing the party’s preparations for the state Assembly poll. He said, “They have proved incompetent as ministers and now they have been handed over duties of Maharashtra. If ministers are told to do party work, who will run the government?” Towards the end of his speech, he pointed at the pending decision of the Supreme Court on the disqualification of rebel Sena MLAs. “How long will the Supreme Court take to decide? We request the court to give out the verdict at the earliest. This tarikh pe tarikh will no longer work.”
There were also signals by Thackeray and his party leader Sanjay Raut about not letting go of Amol Kirtikar’s electoral loss. “We will fight again for Amol Kirtikar’s seat. Similarly, BJP stole about 100 seats across the country where the margin was just a few hundred votes,” Raut alleged.
The party chief and his aide shared the stage with Aaditya Thackeray, all elected MPs, and all those, including Kirtikar, who lost their Lok Sabha seat.
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