Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray.
Credit: PTI Photo
Calling Uddhav Thackeray a “puppet of Congress” for joining hands with the grand old party and siding with “corrupt leaders”, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on Thursday questioned as to how many leaders of I.N.D.I.A would visit the memorial of late Balasaheb Thackeray at Shivaji Park in Dadar during the two-day meeting of the opposition bloc in Mumbai.
"Uddhav Thackeray's alliance with these leaders is a betrayal of Balasaheb's principles,” the Shiv Sena said even as I.N.D.I.A leaders converged in the financial capital of Mumbai.
Thackeray, the Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Maharashtra chief minister, whose Maha Vikas Aghadi government was toppled by Shinde with the help of BJP, is the principal host of the event.
“Mumbai, where the I.N.D.I.A alliance meeting is taking place, is HinduhrudaySamrat Balasaheb Thackeray's city—the heart of the Shiv Sena. In this very city, his son now stands helplessly with those whom his father opposed throughout his life,” the Shiv Sena said.
Addressing a press conference, Shiv Sena's senior leader and MP Gajanan Kirtikar, alongside chief spokesperson and minister Deepak Kesarkar, slammed the Sena UBT for siding with "corrupt" leaders and parties such as Rashtriya Janata Dal, Samajwadi Party, and the Congress.
"Uddhav Thackeray's alliance with these leaders is a betrayal of Balasaheb's principles. Will Uddhav Thackeray ask Rahul Gandhi to apologise for insulting Swatantryaveer Savarkar? How many leaders attending the I.N.D.I.A alliance meeting will visit Balasaheb's memorial and pay their respects?" asked the Shiv Sena leaders.
Kirtikar said that all these parties are the epitome of dynasty politics. "Of the parties involved in this alliance, 17 are trying to further the cause of dynasty politics. They don't care about the country's development," said Kirtikar.
Kesarkar also raised questions on Uddhav Thackeray's role in the alliance.
“Uddhav is now the puppet of Congress. Balasaheb opposed the ideology of Congress throughout his life. He once mentioned that he might disband his party but would never join hands with the Congress. This was the stance Balasaheb took all his life. Now, Uddhav Thackeray has become a puppet whose strings are in the hands of the Congress. It is unfortunate to see Aaditya Thackeray welcoming Rahul Gandhi, who has repeatedly insulted Swatantryaveer Savarkar during his Bharat Jodo Yatra," said Kirtikar.
"Uddhav Thackeray is allying with leaders from the Samajwadi Party, who ordered firing on the 'Kar Sevaks', Lalu Prasad Yadav, who stopped LK Advani's rath yatra for the cause of Ram Mandir,” he added.