On Sunday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched a stinging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), claiming that the party duped his father Balasaheb Thackeray because he was “gullible.” Uddhav Thackeray warned the BJP that, after seeing them fool the Shiv Sena founder, he was acting “shrewdly” and couldn’t disregard the “games” it was playing in the name of Hindutva.
“It is alleged that the Shiv Sena is not the same which it was during Balasaheb Thackeray’s time. It is right. Balasaheb bhole hote (Balasaheb was gullible),” stated Uddhav Thackeray.
“I have myself seen how you deceived Balasaheb from time to time. Hence, I am behaving a bit shrewdly with you. I am not gullible. He was ignoring the games you played in the guise of Hindutva. But I won’t ignore it,” he further added.
He also made an oblique attack on the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, claiming that he does not pay heed to Hindutva’s “new players.”
Attacking MNS and Raj Thackeray, he said, “I don’t pay attention to such players. People have experienced exactly what games these players play and on what grounds. Sometimes they play the game of Marathi, sometimes of Hindutva? the people of Maharashtra have seen such games.”
Uddhav Thackeray was speaking at an event hosted by the Marathi daily ‘Loksatta.’ Pointing the finger at Raj Thackeray, he stated that if one can be entertained for free, why not enjoy it? “…In the last two years, theatres and cinema halls were shut due to the pandemic. So, if one is getting entertained for free, why shouldn’t he/she enjoy it?” he said.
It is worth noting that Maharashtra Navnirman Sena head Raj Thackeray addressed a public assembly in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, on Sunday. Raj Thackeray called the public gathering after warning the Maharashtra government to remove the loudspeakers from mosques by May 3rd, 2022.