Uddhav blasts BJP, says party's old jumlas repackaged as 'Modi ki Guarantee'

Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Monday, 4 March came down heavily on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), saying the ruling outfit is selling its old false promises now as 'Modi ki Guarantee' to people ahead of general elections.

Addressing a well-attended gathering at Panvel in adjoining Navi Mumbai, Thackeray appealed to local voters to defeat the sitting Lok Sabha member from Maval Shrirang Barne, who has switched over to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, in the upcoming polls.

Panvel, a taluka in Raigad district, is part of the Maval Lok Sabha constituency, from where Barne won in 2019 as the candidate of the undivided Shiv Sena. After a split in the party, Barne joined the Shinde-led faction.

"BJP leaders in 2014 (Lok Sabha polls) made several false promises to people. Now, the same false promises or jumlas have been repackaged as 'Modi ki Guarantee' (steadfast commitment) and being offered to people ahead of general elections. The country has never seen a party full of leaders who are outright liars," the former Maharashtra CM remarked, blasting his ally-turned-political foe.

He also dug up the issue of money collected under the PM CARES Fund during the coronavirus pandemic and claimed its utilisation remains unexplained.

"BJP leaders from Maharashtra donated to the PM CARES Fund, but surprisingly, its utilisation is completely unknown to us. These BJP leaders did not donate to the CM Relief Fund when I was the chief minister (November 2019-June 2022) and the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing," he said.

If someone from the opposition INDIA bloc becomes the prime minister after general elections, will he have access to the PM CARES Fund, the Sena (UBT) leader asked.

Thackeray referred to the Prime Minister's Office informing the Delhi High Court in January last year that the PM CARES Fund is not a "State" under Article 12 of the Constitution and does not constitute a "public authority" under the Right to Information Act, 2005.

Speaking about electoral bonds, Thackeray claimed the BJP had got Rs 8,000 crore from these bonds against the Congress' Rs 800 crore.

"The BJP is the most corrupt party but it defames the Congress. The BJP has a rotten attitude. The 2024 Lok Sabha polls is not between Modi and the rest of us, but between an authoritarian regime and democracy," Thackeray said.

Taunting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who used the line 'I will return' routinely during the 2019 Assembly poll campaign, Thackeray said the BJP leadership was repeating the statement ahead of the Lok Sabha polls.

"If that is the case, then why is the BJP breaking other parties? The BJP has reached all corners of Maharashtra today only because the Shiv Sena carried it earlier," Thackeray claimed.

The Muslims were getting connected to the Shiv Sena (UBT) in a prominent way since the community has realised the Hindutva of his party was different from the BJP, Thackeray said.

Thackeray, who had come to inaugurate the office of party functionary Sonjog Waghere, hinted that the latter would contest against Maval MP Barne, who chose to side with the Eknath Shinde faction.

"When I was CM, I sanctioned several medical colleges and rural hospitals. But this Lok Sabha MP (Barne) never came to me seeking help. He never tried to set up a rural hospital here," Thackeray told the crowd.

He said his MVA government had approved the naming of Navi Mumbai airport after late DB Patil, a popular leader from the Raigad region, but the ruling BJP was not taking the process forward.

"Ensure the BJP does not get a single vote from Panvel," he said.

Addressing a rally later in nearby Uran, Thackeray said he had come to the area during the 2019 Assembly polls, after which the BJP betrayed the Shiv Sena.

The BJP doesn't want any party to challenge it but he was standing up to them, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief asserted.

Thackeray also claimed the BJP talks about patriotism but Jan Sangh founder Syama Prasad Mukherjee had once written to the Bengal governor to crush the Congress' 'Chale Jao' movement (Quit India movement) against the British.

He also claimed Mukherjee had joined hands with the Muslim League.

"How can the BJP school us about patriotism? I want people to keep aside caste and religion and unite to save the country. We are against the authoritarian style of the BJP," Thackeray said.

"The BJP will not cross 200 seats in the Lok Sabha polls. I dare the BJP to manipulate EVMs and try to win the polls. It will not be able to control the outrage of people," he said.