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Last Update: June 24, 2023, 23:28 IST
Shiv Sena-UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray. (PTI/File)
Addressing party workers, Thackeray claimed that Mufti told him that the BJP’s alliance with the PDP was on the condition that Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, would not be scrapped.
Facing attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party for sitting next to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti at an opposition meeting in Patna, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he did so deliberately and was against the BJP. Waved his photographs with top leaders. Leader.
Addressing party workers, Thackeray claimed that Mufti told him that the BJP’s alliance with the PDP was on the condition that Article 370, which granted special status to Jammu and Kashmir, would not be scrapped.
Thackeray criticized Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for terming Friday’s opposition meeting as an attempt by parties to “save their political families and dynasties” and said the senior BJP leader should not stoop so low.
“I deliberately sat next to him,” Thackeray said.
Hitting out at BJP rivals, Fadnavis on Friday said the opposition meeting was meant to “remove Modi”, but the leader was working to protect his dynasty.
“Uddhav Thackeray used to criticize us (BJP) for going with Mehbooba Mufti in Kashmir. Now he (Thackeray) is sitting next to Mehbooba Mufti and is talking about forming an alliance.
This was retaliated by Thackeray.
“Those who are with you are clean. When you went with Mehbooba, you (BJP) left Hindutva. We will tear apart the burqa of your fake Hindutva,” he said.
Thackeray waved pictures of Mufti along with BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and said his party had not abandoned Hindutva.
Continuing his attack on Fadnavis, Thackeray said, “I am very sensitive about my family. Don’t stoop so low. You also have a family and WhatsApp chats about your family are out there. We haven’t started talking about it because if he (Fadnavis) has to talk about his family, he has to do ‘shavasana’ (corpse pose in yoga). Thackeray was apparently referring to a chat between Fadnavis’ wife Amruta and suspected bookie Anil Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha. These chats are part of the charge sheet against Jaisinghani, Aniksha and their cousin Nirmal for demanding bribe and trying to extort money from Amruta Fadnavis.
The charge sheet includes several screenshots of WhatsApp chats and messages exchanged between Amrita and the father-daughter duo.
Hitting back at Thackeray, Fadnavis said he, his family and the BJP were like an open book. He said that these chats are in the charge sheet for a purpose.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also targeted Thackeray.
Shinde said the revolt of Shiv Sena MLAs against Thackeray after the Patna meeting has been vindicated. The rebellion led by Shinde had last year brought down the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Thackeray, the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Congress and the NCP.
Shinde accused Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva, saying he falls in the category of Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal, PDP and Janata Dal (United), which had been bitterly criticized by Sena founder Bal Thackeray. He said, the same people opposed the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, removal of Article 370 and Hindutva.
The coming together of opposition parties is a victory of PM Modi’s leadership, Shinde said.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,
