"India is our country's name...": Uddhav Thackeray hits out at PM Modi

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday said that the name of our country is India, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels to foreign countries to represent the same. Reacting to the remarks made by PM Modi over the naming of the I.N.D.I.A. alliance, Uddhav Thackeray said," I.N.D.I.A meeting will be held in Mumbai soon. PM Modi said that even 'Indian Mujahideen' uses India. India is our country's name, on which you (PM Modi) travel.When you travel to America and hug Joe Biden at that time, do you represent India or do you say I am from the Indian Mujahideen? India, Hindustan, and Bharat are our country's names."

Uddhav Thackeray further stated that the BJP follows Hindutva for vote bank politics, and that is why he went out of their alliance. "I left BJP alliance because they are doing fake Hindutva. They are only pretending that they follow Hindutva, but they only follow Hindutva for votes. I can't pretend to fake Hindutva," he said. He further claimed that Central agencies such as the ED, CBI, and Income Tax are used to destroy those parties that are in opposition to the BJP.

"Today, this BJP daggers us. They are sending their army (ED, CBI, and Income Tax) and saying, Come with us, and if you don't, then we will put you behind bars. They destroyed Shivsena, NCP, and now I am hearing that they are trying to destroy Congress too. ED, CBI, and Income tax are strong only under the NDA," he said. Uddhav Thackeray also mentioned that he has no personal hatred for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I don't have any personal hatred for Narendra Modi. In my heart, I call him Narendra Bhai Modi, but not from outside because they dagger me from behind," he added. Earlier Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a dig in its party's parliamentary meeting that as the Britishers named themselves the East India Company and terror organisations like the Indian Mujahideen and the Indian People's Front, all of whom have ‘India’ in them, similarly the Opposition was presenting itself with the name of India.

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge also took note of PM Modi's jibe at the opposition's Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, comparing the grouping with terrorist outfits like Indian Mujahideen and Popular Front of India.

"The day PM Modi links us with terrorist organisations, the home minister writes a letter seeking cooperation from the opposition parties. The gap between the government and the opposition existed for years, but now we see a gap in the government as well. Calling INDIA directionless by PM Modi is unfortunate," Kharge wrote in his letter.

Twenty-six Opposition parties had named their alliance I.N.D.I.A during their second meeting in Bengaluru last month.