Forefront of India’s cash-rich civic body polls crucial polls Thackeray cousins have united to campaign on the plank of Marathi pride.
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction MP, has sought to assert the influence of the Thackeray family in Maharashtra’s, particularly in Mumbai’s politics, and said that they can never be wiped out.
Reacting to Sanjay Raut’s claim that “Thackerays can still shut down Mumbai in 10 minutes”, Maha
Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis said they are ’empty threats’.
Raut’s remarks come afore of the much-anticipated
Maharashtra’s civic body polls called for January 15, which also includes the election to Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. This is also just months folliwing the re-union of the Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, after a two-decades.
Sanjay Raut went on to add that “Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray” are brothers. Their mothers are sisters. This was a family matter. He shares camaraderie to both sides. Had he any role in their reunion, then he feels fortunate.
Raut further added that while the ideologies of both the cousins might differ, they have united to prioritise the nation.
Continuing that the Thackeray cousins are a brand. If Thackerays survive, Marathi manoos will survive.
“Raj and Uddhav are not different. They are one. The mayor will be theirs he claime..
Meanwhile, he added that it could have been possible if Bal Thackeray was still alive, but not anymore. They said they won’t let Eknath Shinde enter Mumbai. But he came with 50 MLAs and went to Raj Bhavan and formed the government. When Bal Thackeray was alive, it (a shutdown) could happen. But these guys can’t do it anymore, Fadnavis told the media
‘This battle is over the Maharashtra Dharma’, says Uddhav Thackeray
‘A battle for survival’
For Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction, the upcoming BMC polls are a battle of survival, said Uddhav Thackeray.
“It’s a battle for survival…not just for us but for the Marathi people in Mumbai,he further revealed to the media.
When asked if the Thackeray cousins are fighting a battle for political survival, Uddhav said, “What are they (opponents) fighting for then? If the BJP fails to win, won’t its existence in Mumbai come under threat? The ‘Esanshi’ (abbreviation of Eknath Sambhaji Shinde) group or (Amit) Shah’s Sena, as he calls them, too would be wiped out. They (shiv sena) saw what happened in Ambernath a couple of days ago (when the local BJP unit tied up with the Congress to defeat Shiv Sena candidates, a move that was finally scotched). Every election is a battle for survival. This is a battle for survival, not just us but for the Marathi character of Mumbai.”
News Edit KV Raman
