Ahead of the assembly elections in the state, all political parties have upped the ante against each other. In a scathing critique of Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday, Shiv Sena (BT) chief Uddhav Thackeray drew historical parallels to underscore his point during a rally in Pune. Thackeray likened Shah to the historical invader Ahmad Shah Abdali.
"If we look back at Maharashtra's history, Shahistekhan had attacked Pune. However, Shahistekhan was clever; he managed to escape with just three fingers lost. He never returned after that. If some people had learned from this, they too would never have returned. But why did they come back? They came back to check the impact of the blow Maharashtra's people gave them in the last Lok Sabha elections. This person who has returned is the political descendant of Ahmed Shah Abdali—Amit Shah.
"He too was a Shah, and this Shah is also a Shah," remarked Thackeray. He was speaking at the Shiv Sankalp Melava organized by his faction of the Shiv Sena in Pune's Swargate area. The event saw a large turnout of Shiv Sainiks from Pune. Thackeray addressed the attendees with a fierce attack on both the state and central governments.
"From today, I will refer to Amit Shah as Ahmad Shah Abdali. They call me a fake heir, an Aurangzeb fan club. So, I will call them Ahmed Shah Abdali. He is Ahmad Shah Abdali. There is no need to fear him. Just as Aurangzeb's tomb was built here, build a political tomb for the BJP," Thackeray declared in his fiery speech.
Thackeray also criticised the BJP's claims to Hinduism, pointing out perceived hypocrisies. "Those who eat cake with Nawaz Sharif, what will they teach us about Hindutva? As Shankaracharya said, a traitor can never be a Hindu. You betrayed us," he said.
"Today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tells us that he spent his childhood with a Muslim family. If that is your concept of religion, then what about the decisions taken by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, which the courts later struck down? Should we follow your religious concept or the one Yogi Adityanath is spreading in Uttar Pradesh?" Thackeray questioned, adding another layer to his critique.