Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of pandering to Delhi and said the upcoming assembly elections are a battle against those who hate the state. Addressing a meeting of party workers in Thane, Shinde’s stronghold, he accused the state government of ‘bribing’ voters by announcing its main scheme, the Chief Minister Ladki Behin Yojana, months before the October elections.
Uddhav Thackeray said that women should take advantage of the scheme as it is their own money, but they should not compromise their self-respect. Thackeray hit out at rival Shiv Sena president Eknath Shinde, saying he was leaning towards Delhi.
Tomatoes and cow dung were thrown at Uddhav’s caravan
He said Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s struggle was to refuse to bow down to Delhi. Thackeray said that the assembly battle will be with those who hate Maharashtra. Earlier, when Uddhav Thackeray reached the Gadkari Rangayatan Auditorium here for a meeting of his party workers, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) workers protested and threw tomatoes and cow dung at his convoy.
I am not afraid of Abdali: Uddhav
Without making any mention of the incident during his address at the event, he said that his party workers are his protectors and that he is not afraid of Abdali. Recently, Uddhav Thackeray called BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah as Ahmed Shah Abdali. Amit Shah accused Thackeray of being the head of Aurangzeb fan club. In the program, Uddhav Thackeray said that my Shiv Sainiks are my tiger claws, I have no fear of Abdali.
A tiger-claw is a hand-held weapon. It is said to have been used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in 1659 to kill Afzal Khan, the commander of the Bijapur Sultanate. This weapon is currently kept in a museum in Satara.
Uddhav Thackeray raised slogans against it
In Mumbai, at least 10 members of the Muslim community, who were protesting over the Waqf (Amendment) Bill outside Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray’s Bandra residence on Saturday, were detained by the police. An official said the police avoided a possible confrontation as the protesters raised slogans against Uddhav Thackeray and demanded to clarify their party’s stand on the bill.
