Mumbai: Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday at a Dusshera rally, reassured the BJP that it would not ditch their alliance in Maharastra and at the center. He emphasized that his party would not quit the BJP-led government. He however took the opportunity to criticize the government at the centre and the state on a scale never seen before. He criticized them on a range of issues from price rise to Dalit murders to its “failure” to deliver on the Hindutva agenda.
The Shiv Sena and the BJP were at loggerheads over the past two weeks over a range of issues ranging from the Dadri Lynching, to the beef and meat ban in Maharashtra, the Dalit killings in Haryana, the ink attacks on Kulkarni and the disruption of the meeting between the BCCI President and the Pakistan Cricket Board President.
Thackeray also blamed the breakdown of law and order in the country for the Dadri lynching as well as the incident in Faridkot where two Dalit children were burnt to death.
“These incidents like the Dadri lynching bring shame to the country, not the ink attack by Shiv Sainiks on Sudheendra Kulkarni. In Haryana, there is BJP rule, so how did this incident take place where a Dalit family was attacked and two children were burnt alive? And, after such an incident, one of our BJP ministers makes a statement that equates Dalits with dogs.” he said.
According to the Hindustan Times, he cautioned the Centre that incidents like these were “sparks that could lead to a forest fire” and bring down the government.
Thackeray also challenged the government to deliver on “real issues”, if it was serious about its Hindutva agenda.
“Instead of searching for beef eaters in every house, why don’t you go ahead and declare India a Hindu Rashtra, we will support you. Why don’t you implement the Uniform Civil Code?” he said.
