Shiv Sena will not be a slave of ruling party: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: In his final campaign rally before the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) polls, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray targeted Prime minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, warning them that Sena will not become a “slave of BJP”. He also lashed out at BJP for making allegations against the Thackeray family and raising doubts over their integrity. Mr Thackeray expressed full confidence in the Sena that the party will get sufficient majority to appoint the next mayor for the BMC.

In a show of strength on Saturday evening at BKC in which more than 40,000 people had gathered, Mr Thackeray replied to corruption allegations made by BJP. “You made allegations against us in nullah cleaning scam. Prove the scam first. In the same way should I ask about Navami Ganga? The government report said that not a single drop of Ganga was cleaned. So where did the money go? In Modi’s pocket?” Mr Thackeray said.

In a stinging attack on Mr Fadnavis, the Sena chief called him a “liar,” and said the CM should not have defamed Mumbai. “(For the) first time in history I have seen such a failed CM. His party men killed a Congress corporator in Bhiwandi which got captured on CCTV but the accused went absconding. You had promised to distribute Rs 6,000 crore to Kalyan Dombivali Municipal Corporation but what happened to that? Miffed citizens showed black flags to the CM in Dombivali,” Mr Thackeray said.

Questioning BJP’s stand on NCP, Mr Thackeray criticised the Padma Vibhushan given to NCP chief Sharad Pawar after alleging that his party was corrupt. “You gave Padma Vibhushan to Sharad Pawar but the same family was corrupt for you before elections. You made allegations against them over the irrigation scam. Now Modi is saying Pawar was his political guru,” he said.