
"I must be getting blessings of Balasaheb Thackeray": CM Fadnavis responds to Raj Thackeray's remark
The remarks of the Maharashtra Chief Minister came in response to Raj Thackeray's veiled attack on the former, where the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief stated, 'What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did it'.
'I express my gratitude to Raj Thackeray that he gave me the credit for the coming together of both the brothers; I must be getting the blessings of Balasaheb Thackeray. I was told that there would be a victory rally, but there was also a speech of 'rudaali'. Not a single word was spoken about Marathi... The Mumbai Municipal Corporation was under their control for 25 years. Still, they did not do any work that could be shown,' Chief Minister said.
'We changed the face of Mumbai under the leadership of PM Modi. They are jealous of the work we did for Mumbai, but the public knows everything, and everyone is on our side,' he added.
On the language row brewing up in the state, CM Fadnavis said that the ideology of Hindutva takes everyone.
'We are Marathi, we are proud of being Marathi, we are proud of the Marathi language, but at the same time, we are also Hindus; our Hindutva takes everyone along,' he said.
Earlier, at a joint rally, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray launched a veiled attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and said that the Chief Minister did what could not be possible for Balasaheb Thackeray, as he brought the two estranged brothers of the Thackeray family together.
'I had said in one of my interviews that my Maharashtra is bigger than any politics and fight. Today, after 20 years, Uddhav and I have come together. What Balasaheb could not do, Devendra Fadnavis did it... The work of bringing both of us together,' he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray and MNS chief Raj Thackeray shared a hug at the Worli Dome in Mumbai as they held a joint rally after the Maharashtra government scrapped two Government Resolutions (GRs) to introduce Hindi as the third language.
Speaking on the occasion, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Saturday expressed happiness over the 'Awaaz Marathicha' joint rally held by Shiv Sena (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and stated that she 'witnessed a historic' moment.
Priyanka Chaturvedi said that both Uddhav and Raj Thackeray have come together after 20 years, and this was evident from the excitement of the people.
'We have witnessed a historic moment. As Raj Thackeray said, what Balasaheb couldn't do, Devendra Fadnavis has done. This shows that they will stay united. Both of them have come together after 20 years. The excitement of people shows that they wanted both of them to come together', Priyanka Chaturvedi said. (ANI)
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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Uddhav hits out at CM over ‘rudali' comment, calls him ‘perverted and mean-spirited'
Mumbai: Hitting back at CM Devendra Fadnavis for his comment that the Thackeray cousins' 'reunion' rally was a "rudali" (professional women mourners) act and not a "victory celebration", Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that the "original BJP " was "dead" and that "those who feel sad about the happy moments of Marathi people are very perverted and mean-spirited." Uddhav also clarified that he was not against any language but was against Hindi compulsion or the imposition of any language. "If they want to have three languages, they must tell us what third language will be taught in Uttar Pradesh," he said. "I can understand their (BJP) mentality because the original BJP is dead. It was murdered by these people. 'Rudali' is also a Hindi word. They have taken help from our party, Congress, NCP, and parties across the country to get people to express sorrow because the original BJP is dead," Uddhav said while speaking at Vidhan Bhavan. You Can Also Check: Mumbai AQI | Weather in Mumbai | Bank Holidays in Mumbai | Public Holidays in Mumbai He also hit out at BJP minister Ashish Shelar, who compared the terrorists in Pahalgam to those assaulting non-Marathis in Mumbai. "We Shiv Sainiks are helping people without looking at caste or religion. Those who are comparing Marathi people with the terrorists of Pahalgam are the real killers of Marathi. They cannot even save Hindus; they are taking sides with those who do injustice to Marathi. If any BJP member is comparing a Marathi person who agitates for rights with the terrorists of Pahalgam, they are the killers of Marathi. So did the terrorists of Pahalgam join the BJP? They should tell us. Where did they go? Are they living in the houses of those who accused us? It is the misfortune of Maharashtra that such incompetent people are ruling in Maharashtra," he said. Uddhav also held a meeting of Sena (UBT) legislators in Vidhan Bhavan and asked them to remind assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar about the appointment of the leader of ppposition (LoP) in the assembly. The Sena (UBT) will give a reminder letter to Narwekar on Tuesday asking him to make a decision on appointing an LoP. Narwekar has said they are studying the rules and examining if the LoP's post can be given if a party has less than 10% MLAs. After the budget session, this is the second session of the new Mahayuti govt without an LoP in the assembly. Uddhav hits out at CM over 'rudali' comment, calls him 'perverted and mean-spirited' Chaitanya Marpakwar Mumbai: Hitting back at CM Devendra Fadnavis for his comment that the Thackeray cousins' 'reunion' rally was a "rudali" (professional women mourners) act and not a "victory celebration", Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that the "original BJP" was "dead" and that "those who feel sad about the happy moments of Marathi people are very perverted and mean-spirited." Uddhav also clarified that he was not against any language but was against Hindi compulsion or the imposition of any language. "If they want to have three languages, they must tell us what third language will be taught in Uttar Pradesh," he said. "I can understand their (BJP) mentality because the original BJP is dead. It was murdered by these people. 'Rudali' is also a Hindi word. They have taken help from our party, Congress, NCP, and parties across the country to get people to express sorrow because the original BJP is dead," Uddhav said while speaking at Vidhan Bhavan. He also hit out at BJP minister Ashish Shelar, who compared the terrorists in Pahalgam to those assaulting non-Marathis in Mumbai. "We Shiv Sainiks are helping people without looking at caste or religion. Those who are comparing Marathi people with the terrorists of Pahalgam are the real killers of Marathi. They cannot even save Hindus; they are taking sides with those who do injustice to Marathi. If any BJP member is comparing a Marathi person who agitates for rights with the terrorists of Pahalgam, they are the killers of Marathi. So did the terrorists of Pahalgam join the BJP? They should tell us. Where did they go? Are they living in the houses of those who accused us? It is the misfortune of Maharashtra that such incompetent people are ruling in Maharashtra," he said. Uddhav also held a meeting of Sena (UBT) legislators in Vidhan Bhavan and asked them to remind assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar about the appointment of the leader of ppposition (LoP) in the assembly. The Sena (UBT) will give a reminder letter to Narwekar on Tuesday asking him to make a decision on appointing an LoP. Narwekar has said they are studying the rules and examining if the LoP's post can be given if a party has less than 10% MLAs. After the budget session, this is the second session of the new Mahayuti govt without an LoP in the assembly.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Marathi manoeuvres
BMC polls made Uddhav team up with bro Raj. He may not recover politically if he fails UBT Sena's Uddhav Thackeray, a practitioner of fluid politics, joining hands with MNS boss cousin Raj, a far-right hardline Marathi-Maratha politician, is unsurprising – the bros want to win elections to India's richest civic body, BMC. Shiv Sena has won BMC polls since 1985, barring 1992-1996. Raj broke away in 2005 after Uddhav inherited the party. Shiv Sena split in 2022 – Eknath Shinde toppled Uddhav govt and walked away with CMship, sainiks, party and symbol. Cut to the present: MNS has zero electoral relevance, Uddhav is floundering. After Lok Sabha and state polls, elections to BMC – the jewel in Sena's crown – will be Uddhav's third test. He has struggled to articulate his idea of a more inclusive Sena within the secular camp. When he resigned his post ahead of a floor test, it was a principled stand for a politician. It however cost him a potential return to office in the Supreme Court case that followed. Uddhav won the people's sympathy, sweeping LS polls, only to come a cropper in state elections. Mahayuti (BJP+Shinde Sena) has held strong as a unit. UBT Sena long announced it wouldn't contest BMC polls as part of MVA. In tying up with MNS, Uddhav has turned another corner. Is there a meeting ground? If anything, it was Raj who raised eyebrows. He created an opening for a patch-up when he criticised Centre's reaction to Pahalgam attack. MNS brings sainiks, UBT Sena brings Uddhav. Will it be enough? In 2021-2022, OBC quota within BMC was a contentious issue – in 2021, under Uddhav, delimitation increased the number of wards from 227 to 236. Shinde scrapped that in Aug 2022. As the process for the election gets underway, it's such issues that will influence outcomes. The stakes are high for both Shinde Sena-BJP and UBT Sena-MNS. But for Uddhav personally, a loss can be hard to recover from. In the last BMC polls in 2017, undivided Shiv Sena won 84 seats, junior ally BJP 82. No one got a majority in the 227-seat BMC. Sena retained mayor's post. But eight years on, BJP's the Big Bro, and CM Fadnavis is aggressively if quietly calling the shots. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email This piece appeared as an editorial opinion in the print edition of The Times of India.


Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Brothers join hands for big Mumbai election
Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray are both important politicians from Maharashtra. Even though they had problems in the past, they are now joining hands to try and win a very big election — the BMC polls. BMC stands for Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, which is the body that runs Mumbai city. It is the richest local government in India. Uddhav used to lead the Shiv Sena party, which ruled Mumbai's BMC for many years. But in 2005, Raj left the party and started his own group, called MNS. Then in 2022, another leader, Eknath Shinde, broke away from Uddhav and became the chief minister with help from BJP (the ruling party at the national level). Now, Uddhav's party is much smaller, and Raj's party doesn't win many votes. So, both brothers are teaming up to try and win back control of Mumbai. This is very important for Uddhav, because he already lost in the state assembly elections. Winning the BMC would help him get back his political power. But it's a risky move. Raj is known for being very strong about Marathi pride and sometimes takes extreme positions. Uddhav, on the other hand, has been trying to make his party more inclusive and friendly to all people. That makes their partnership a bit confusing. Still, Raj recently showed he might be ready to work together when he said something against the central government. That opened a door for talks between the two. In the last BMC election in 2017, Shiv Sena got the most seats (84), and BJP came close (82), but no one got a clear majority. This time, the BJP is stronger, and Deputy CM Fadnavis is quietly leading their plan. So, this election is a big deal. If Uddhav and Raj win, they might get a second chance. But if they lose, it could be the end of Uddhav's political journey. Facebook Twitter Linkedin Email Disclaimer Views expressed above are the author's own.