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The former Maharashtra chief minister also attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the BJP’s ‘Modi Ka Parivar’ campaign, claiming he does not understand the meaning of ”parivar” (family) as one has to take responsibility of a ‘parivar’.
”When I was the chief minister during Covid, I made a resolve that ‘mera parivar, meri zimmedaari’ (my family, my responsibility). There is only you and the chair in your ‘parivar’,” Thackeray said at a press conference.
The Sena (UBT) chief, who is in Delhi to take part in the INDIA bloc’s ‘Save Democracy’ rally, claimed the BJP does not have any real issue now as its ”mask is off” with the details of electoral bonds coming to light.
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Thackeray claimed that companies were raided before they purchased electoral bonds and some got contracts after they took the bonds.
Notably, BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi earlier in the day said the Ramlila ground once hosted ”India against corruption” movement under the leadership of Anna Hazare and it is hosting on Sunday a rally for ”everybody with corruption”.
To a query on the BJP not mentioning Sharad Pawar’s name in the ”gathering of thugs”, Thackeray said thugs have been taken away by the BJP after the NCP split last year.
”The electoral bonds have exposed the BJP. The entire country knows who are the real thugs,” he claimed.
Thackeray also lashed out at the BJP for welcoming those leaders in the party against whom it had made serious allegations in the past.
”Who made allegations against Praful Patel? Who made allegations about Adarsh (scam)? Who made allegations against Janardhan Reddy and Naveen Jindal?” he asked, hitting out at the BJP.
Thackeray said the BJP had earlier accused Praful Patel, Ajit Pawar, Ashok Chavan and Naveen Jindal of corruption. ”The BJP talks against dynasty. Are they okay with the corrupt dynasts?” he asked He also said the BJP of Atal Bihari Vajpayee was different and used to work on principles and with an ideology. Now the BJP is with corrupt people, Thackeray alleged.
He claimed that Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was arrested to deflect attention from the electoral bonds issue. ”Kejriwal and (former Jharkhand CM) Hemant Soren have been put in jail. Others are harassed and those who join hands with the BJP are given clean chit. This is not a good sign. Dictatorship is already here. There should be free and fair elections,” he said.
The INDIA bloc’s ”Loktantra Bachao” rally at the Ramlila ground on Sunday is seen as a show of strength and Opposition unity in the backdrop of the arrest of Kejriwal just before the Lok Sabha polls. The Congress, however, has asserted that the rally was aimed at saving the Constitution and democracy and not any particular person.
Thackeray said he is meeting people and is getting a good response from them as they are angry over how the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, led by him in Maharashtra, was toppled through betrayal.
The MVA comprises the Congress, Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP).
Attacking the ruling ‘Mahayuti’ in Maharashtra, Thackeray asked, ”Is this a natural alliance? Only corruption binds them together. They had criticised the MVA as being a unnatural alliance.” The BJP, Shiv Sena headed by CM Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar-led NCP are constituents of the Mahayuti.
Former CM Thackeray played down the rift between his party and the Congress over a few seats. ”When we were in alliance with the BJP, there would be differences till the last minute, but once a decision was final, everyone worked to ensure the candidates’ win,” he said.
Thackeray said all parties want to expand their outfits. ”We have to take decisions on winnability,” he said.
On Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis saying he would book a theatre for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to watch the recently released movie on Hindutva ideologue VD Savarkar, Thackeray said, ”I will pay for the travel and accommodation of Fadnavis. He should visit Manipur, Ladakh, Darjeeling and Arunachal Pradesh and also meet Kashmiri Pandits.” Fadnavis should rope in a Bollywood producer to make a movie called ”Manipur Files”, he added.