Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday slammed recently united Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav and MNS head Raj Thackeray, saying the January 15 Mumbai civic body election is the battle of survival for the cousins, and not for the Marathi people. Addressing a rally here in support of the Mahayuti alliance consisting of the BJP-Shiv Sena on the penultimate day of campaigning for the civic polls, Fadnavis asserted Mumbai is an inseparable part of Maharashtra and no one can dare to break it away.
At the rally for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) election at iconic Shivaji Park, the CM showed old videos of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray, who have joined hands for civic polls after nearly 20 years of estrangement, attacking each other. Responding to MNS chief Raj Thackeray's remarks that the election to the Mumbai civic body will be the last one for Marathi people, Fadnavis said, "Your own survival is at stake."
"The (BMC) election is not about threat to Mumbai, Marathi speakers, but your own survival," the BJP CM noted, referring to the Thackeray cousins, whose parties are pitted against the BJP-Shiv Sena combine to control India's biggest and richest civic body with over Rs 74,000 crore budget.
What you did for 25 yrs? Shinde slams Uddhav
Deputy Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, holding him responsible for the plight of "Marathi manoos" and sought to know steps taken by him in the last 25 years when he controlled the Mumbai civic body. "They (Raj and Uddhav) only remember Marathi manoos (Marathi people) before polls. Otherwise they don't even bother to look at Marathi manoos," said Sena leader.
"They are the ones responsible for the plight of Marathi manoos today. Marathi manoos was thrown out of Mumbai during your tenure. Whose failure is it if you controlled the BMC for 25 years?" Shinde said, attacking his arch political rival Uddhav Thackeray. "Some people made an emotional speech that this is the last battle of Marathi manoos. The existence of Marathi manoos was not under threat before and it will not be under threat tomorrow," Shinde said. Fadnavis, a former ally of Uddhav Thackeray, declared that his commitment was to install a Mahayuti mayor in Mumbai and usher in an era of transparent civic governance.