Uddhav Thackeray 'backstabbed' BJP, but got befitting reply: Nadda

CHANDRAPUR: Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda on Monday alleged that Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray ''backstabbed'' the BJP and compromised with his ideology for the sake of power, but got a befitting reply as a new government is now in place in Maharashtra.

Nadda was addressing a 'Vijay Sankalp' rally in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district. The rally is part of the BJP's plan to win 18 ''difficult'' seats from Maharashtra in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, according to a party leader. Thackeray's party had snapped ties with long-term ally BJP after the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls. Thackeray later tied-up with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in the state.

In June last year, senior Sena leader Eknath Shinde led a revolt against the party leadership following which the Thackeray government collapsed. Shinde later became the chief minister with BJP's Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.

Nadda said during the polls it was clearly mentioned that ''Delhi mein Narendra...Maharashtra mein Devendra'' and the Shiv Sena gave consent to it at that time.

But, when the election results came out, they (Sena and Thackeray) ''backstabbed us'' for becoming the chief minister, the BJP president said.

One should understand that in politics, power goes only towards the truth, he said, adding that the ''unnatural alliance'' (MVA) did not last long.

''Thackeray for the greed of power backstabbed the BJP and supported those against whom former RSS Sarsanghchalak Balasaheb Deoras fought all his life,'' Nadda claimed.

He asked the BJP workers whether such people should be forgiven. Thackeray compromised with his ideology for the sake of power and his government stopped the Ganesh Utsav and Dahi Handi programmes, he claimed. Nadda further said Thackeray hurt the cultural sentiments of Maharashtra and stood with people who refused to understand the importance of the Indian culture in politics. But, they have got a ''befitting reply'' for everyone to see and a new government has been formed under the leadership of Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis, he said. Nadda said Shinde and Fadnavis were taking Maharashtra towards development. He also targeted Thackeray over the incident of alleged lynching of three persons in Palghar district in April 2020.

''Uddhav, the son of Hindu Samrat (Sena founder Bal Thackeray), took a step back'' by not handing over the probe into the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation under pressure from the Congress and NCP, he said. Further targeting the MVA, he claimed ''three shops of corruption'' had opened in Maharashtra. Nadda said the BJP is bringing ''digital cleanliness'' in politics with 'JAM' (Jandhan-Aadhaar-Mobile), and said the MVA is another 'JAM' which implies ''jointly acquiring money''.

Nadda also referred to the BJP as 'DBT', facilitating ''direct benefit transfer'' (to people), and claimed the MVA was into ''dealership-brokerage-transfer''. He also said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has empowered women and farmers in the country with several welfare schemes.

Nadda said he will do his best to strengthen the BJP, right from Kashmir to Kanyakumari (north to south) and from Kutch to Cuttack (west to east), but it will start from Chandrapur district.

He also offered prayers at the Mahakali temple in Chandrapur.

Nadda was accompanied Maharashtra minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, state BJP president Chandrashekhar Bawankule, National Commission for Backward Classes Chairman Hansraj Ahir and other party leaders.