MVA puts up show of unity as Thackeray flays Centre over Adani, Malik
The MVA somewhat succeeded in showing their united strength on the home turf of the RSS through its ‘Vajramuth’ rally. In an apparent challenge to the Sangh Parivar, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and union minister Nitin Gadkari, all the top MVA leaders vowed that their joint front would “finish off” the BJP in the coming elections.
NAGPUR: Amidst speculations of a split in the opposition coalition, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) put up a show of unity and strength in Nagpur on Sunday. It came down heavily on the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre over the issue of remarks on Pulwama terror attack made by former Jammu & Kashmir Governor Satyapal Malik and Hindenburg Research’s report on Adani Group.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar, who is rumoured to be keen on joining the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, attended the rally though he did not address it. Significantly, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, for the first time, attacked Modi government over Adani issue alleging that businessmen, close to the ruling party, were getting richer.
The MVA somewhat succeeded in showing their united strength on the home turf of the RSS through its ‘Vajramuth’ rally. In an apparent challenge to the Sangh Parivar, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and union minister Nitin Gadkari, all the top MVA leaders vowed that their joint front would “finish off” the BJP in the coming elections.
Lashing out at the ruling BJP government, Thackeray said that they are killing the ethos of democracy. In an obvious reference to Adani, Thackeray said that to the BJP, democracy is just to help its close associates.
Thackeray said that a section of businessmen, close to the BJP, are getting richer and minting money faster. Many friends of this government are becoming the richest people in the world. When Hindenburg’s report on Adani Group was released, there was a hue and cry by the BJP government who claimed that it was an attack on the country.
“If the report raised some issues, better reply to those issues,“ Thackeray said adding that the government is so intolerant that if anyone raises questions, it acts against them vindictively.
He continued, “When Congress leader Rahul Gandhi asked questions about the functioning of the Modi government, his membership of Lok Sabha was cancelled and when Kejriwal questioned Modi on several issues, he may be put behind the bars any time.”
Thackeray said that Malik exposed the Pulwama episode and alleged that 40 jawans were killed because of Modi government’s wrong decision.
“Malik belongs to your party. You appointed him as a governor. The statement made by such a person is serious,” said Thackeray.
Attacking the BJP for its concept of Hindutva, he asked whether attacking a woman, Roshni Shinde, in Mumbai is their version of Hindutva?
“Why should I not brand the home minister as ‘fadtoos’ (good for nothing) when the police are not taking cognizance of the issue,” said Thackeray.
“When she was in the hospital, they pressured the authorities to discharge her from the hospital so that she could be arrested. I had then said ‘this home minister is Fadtoos’. What would you have said? Is this governance acceptable to Sangh, Modi and Amit Shah?” asked Thackeray.
Thackeray also targetted chief minister Eknath Shinde and said if Shinde was a true devotee of Ram, he would have gone to Ayodhya first, instead of going to Surat and Guwahati. The present deputy chief minister had not gone to Ayodhya but had asked when would Ram Rajya come to Maharashtra? Farmers are crying and the government is not even going to make a panchnama of the fields after untimely rains have damaged the crops.
The state Congress chief Nana Patole, former chief minister and senior Congress leader, Prithviraj Chavan, state NCP chief Jayant Patil, former state home minister, Anil Deshmukh and senior Congress leaders, Sunil Kedar and Vijay Wadetiwar, also spoke on the occasion.
After the grand Vajramuth rally in Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar and now Nagpur, the MVA has started preparations for the third rally, in the series of six mega shows of strength, in Pune.
The third rally is planned On May 14 in Pune, the headquarters of western Maharashtra. It will be followed by one on May 28 in Kolhapur and then on June 3, in Nashik, the hub of north Maharashtra. The Nagpur rally was crucial as not only is it home to Fadnavis but in the recent past, the MVA had won the seat there in the MLC elections.
In the February MLC polls in Nagpur Division Teachers’ seat, Congressman Sudhakar Adbale, the MVA candidate, defeated sitting two-time MLC Nago Ganar, an Independent candidate, who was backed by the BJP. In Amravati Division Graduates’ seat, Dhiraj Lingade of the Congress defeated Dr Ranjit Patil of the BJP, a two-time sitting MLC and a former minister in the erstwhile BJP-Shiv Sena government.