Using agencies to suppress dissent is not democracy: Uddhav Thackeray

Slamming the Bharatiya Janata Party for engaging in “vendetta politics”, Shiv Sena president, and former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday asked where was democracy in India if central agencies are being used to suppress dissent.

“Using CBI, ED and other agencies to repress dissent is not democracy,” Thackeray told reporters while condemning the arrest of his close aide Sanjay Raut.

Attacking the Central government, Thackeray also gave the example of Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler, and cartoonist David Lowe. “During the height of World War II, David Lowe kept exposing Hitler…at one point of time Hitler seemed to be winning, and a cartoonist kept exposing him…Hitler wanted him dead or alive…my father told this to me,” he said.

Thackeray also slammed BJP national president J P Nadda for his reported statement that Shiv Sena would be finished in Maharashtra. “The BJP is trying to homogenise India and is using strength to do so,” he said.

BJP leader and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, said that Nadda’s statement was being misconstrued and misinterpreted. “Nadda was referring to the Shiv Sena led by Thackeray, and not the one led by Eknath Shinde,” he said.