Uddhav visits constituency of CM Shinde`s son; rails against dynasty, `traitors`
Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday visited the constituency of Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde`s son Shrikant Shinde and asked people to rail against dynasty and `traitors`, reported the PTI.
Uddhav Thackeray asked people to end dynastic politics as he toured the Kalyan Lok Sabha constituency which is represented by Shrikant Shinde, son of the rival Shiv Sena faction chief Eknath Shinde.
Speaking at a rally, he also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s repeated visits to Maharashtra underline the state`s importance in the coming 2024 Lok Sabha elections, as per the PTI.
“Bury dynastic politics and traitors,” the former chief minister said, the news agency reported.
Referring to PM Modi`s speech at the inauguration of the trans-harbour Atal Setu on Friday, Thackeray noted that the prime minister made critical comments about dynastic politics.
Notably, Uddhav Thackeray himself belongs to a political family, as his father Bal Thackeray was the founder of the Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray`s son Aaditya was a minister in the previous state government.
“It is time we showed traitors their place,” he further said, taking a swipe at Eknath Shinde who rebelled against Thackeray`s leadership in June 2022 and brought down his government, the PTI reported on Saturday.
PM Modi himself will deny tickets to “traitors”, failing which the people of the state will dump them along with the BJP in the dustbin in the coming elections, Thackeray said.
“Use and throw” was the Bharatiya Janata Party`s (BJP) policy, he alleged.
Uddhav Thackeray, whose party is a constituent of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) alliance, also expressed satisfaction at the presence of local leaders and workers of allies Congress and Sharad Pawar-led NCP in the audience.
Opposition`s solidarity was important for saving the country, he added.
According to the PTI, speaking to reporters at a clean-up drive at Kopineshwar temple in Thane, Shinde accused Thackeray of treating the Shiv Sena as a private limited company, deviating from the principles and teachings of the late Bal Thackeray, and treating one`s associates as “servants”.
He also said the Ram temple in Ayodhya was not a political issue but a matter of faith.
Meanwhile, Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday demanded that the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya be performed by President Droupadi Murmu as it is a matter of “national pride and the country`s self-respect”, reported the PTI.
(with PTI inputs)