Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis questions Uddhav Thackeray over Waqf
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis questions Uddhav Thackeray over Waqf
Maha CM Devendra Fadnavis challenged Shiv Sena (UBT) Supremo Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, the eve of introduction of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, in the Lok Sabha.
Taking to his X handle, CM Fadnavis posted in Marathi “Waqf Amendment Bill in Parliament tomorrow! Let’s see if Uddhav will uphold the ideas of Balasaheb Thackeray Sena, the Emperor of Hindu Hearts, and the venerable Shiv Sena chief Balasaheb Thackeray, or will he continue to follow in the footsteps of Rahul Gandhi and appease him?
Shiv Sena (UBT) is a former ally of Fadnavis’ Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). In November 2019, the then-united Shiv Sena parted ways with the BJP, its long-time ally, and formed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) with ideological rivals Congress and Nationalist Congress Party. Thackeray then became the leader of the MVA government in Maharashtra.
However, in June 2022, Eknath Shinde of the Shiv Sena caused a vertical split in the party and triggered collapse of the Thackeray-led MVA regime. The faction led by Shinde, now Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, is recognised by the Election Commission as the “real” Shiv Sena, while the original group is called Shiv Sena (UBT).
The Waqf (Amendment) Bill, to be moved by Centre’s BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Lok Sabha, is set to face stiff resistance from the Congress-led opposition INDIA bloc. Muslim organizations, too, have voiced their opposition to the bill.
The BJP has issued a three-line whip to all its Lok Sabha MPs, asking them to be present in the House. The Congress, too, has issued a whip for its Lok Sabha members to attend the proceedings.
News Edit KV Raman
