New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday (May 1, 2022) launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the party deceived his father Balasaheb Thackeray as he was "gullible". He warned his former ally that since he had seen it deceive the Shiv Sena founder, he himself was acting "shrewdly" with that party and cannot ignore the "games" it played in the guise 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)," he said.
"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," the Shiv Sena president added.
The Maharashtra chief minister said his father inculcated Hindutva in him.
Uddhav also took a veiled jibe at Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president and his estranged cousin Raj Thackeray and said that he does not pay attention to "new players" of Hindutva.
Without naming the MNS, he also said the party was making experiments to see if any cause was working for it or not.
"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," he said.
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In the past, the MNS had raised the cause of Marathi people, while of late it has taken a pro-Hindutva stand. In his rally held last month, Raj Thackeray had given an ultimatum to the state government to remove loudspeakers from mosques by May 3, failing which Hanuman Chalisa would be played at a higher volume outside these religious places.
"...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?" Uddhav quipped, apparently referring to the speeches made by Raj Thackeray.
The chief minister further said that a consumer returns a product if he/she does not like it in the era of marketing.
The Shiv Sena is a "Hindutvawadi" party, he added.
(With agency inputs)
