AMRAVATI: Twenty-four hours after Election Commission slapped a notice on Uddhav Thackeray for use of ‘Jai Bhavani‘ in its anthem, the Shiv Sena (UBT) president defied the poll panel by vigorously chanting the slogan at a packed Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) meeting at Amravati — the first mammoth show of strength on one platform by all three partners for Congress’ Balwant Wankhade against BJP candidate Navneet Rana.
The rally at Dyaneshwar Hall on Monday witnessed the presence of top MVA leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Mukul Wasnik and Anil Deshmukh, marking their first joint appearance since the rollout of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
Addressing the crowd, Thackeray questioned the Election Commission’s silence on the alleged vulgar comments by BJP’s Chandrapur contender Sudhir Mungantiwar.
“Unfortunately, he’s Maharashtra’s culture minister, who made uncouth comments on a sacred relationship between brother and sister at PM Modi’s rally in Chandrapur. BJP leaders don’t speak about violence against women in Manipur and one Mahayuti minister made objectionable comments against MP Supriya Sule, but their leadership is mum.”
Asserting that Amravati was a Sena bastion, Thackeray reminded the crowd of the party’s five consecutive victories in parliamentary elections from the region. He vowed revenge for betrayals, while emphasizing that unlike their opponents, they would not resort to cowardly tactics. Thackeray also criticized the current state of affairs under the NDA government, likening the situation to an Emergency.
In a direct attack on the PM, Thackeray declared that Modi’s tenure was effectively over, referring to him as a former PM. He questioned the PM on his promises, asking whether he delivered on his commitment to deposit ₹15 lakh into every citizen’s account and double farmers’ income.
“When undivided Shiv Sena and BJP were in alliance, how many times did the PM come for election rallies? Now, he is touring lanes and bylanes. We want ‘Bharat Sarkar’ and not ‘Modi Sarkar’. It was our blunder that we supported him in 2014 and 2019,” he said.
Questioning the Modi govt’s steps to curb farm suicides, Thackeray said the PM had no right to ask Congress on what it did in 70 years when it was in power.
Pointing out that Vidarbha’s backlog was not removed in all these years, the former CM said Modi can’t wipe farmers’ tears with his rhetoric. “Why have you not developed Vidarbha during your regime? You failed to bring a single big industry. Instead, major industries are moved to Gujarat,” he said.
Targeting finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the UBT Sena chief said she declared the NDA govt would bring back electoral bonds, while freezing Congress bank accounts. “BJP is spending crores on advertisements, where does this money come from? The PM says they are depositing ₹6,000 in accounts of over 11 crore farmers, but it imposed 18% GST on fertilizers,” he said.
Claiming that the April 26 elections would be a fight between democracy and dictatorship, the former CM alleged the BJP govt had a sinister design to change the Constitution. “We will not allow any tinkering with sacred documents drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. MVA would soon release its joint manifesto, which promises jobs, education and healthcare facilities. You need to choose between Modi’s guarantee and my promise,” he said.
The rally at Dyaneshwar Hall on Monday witnessed the presence of top MVA leaders, including Uddhav Thackeray, Sharad Pawar, Mukul Wasnik and Anil Deshmukh, marking their first joint appearance since the rollout of the seven-phased Lok Sabha polls on April 19.
Addressing the crowd, Thackeray questioned the Election Commission’s silence on the alleged vulgar comments by BJP’s Chandrapur contender Sudhir Mungantiwar.
“Unfortunately, he’s Maharashtra’s culture minister, who made uncouth comments on a sacred relationship between brother and sister at PM Modi’s rally in Chandrapur. BJP leaders don’t speak about violence against women in Manipur and one Mahayuti minister made objectionable comments against MP Supriya Sule, but their leadership is mum.”
Asserting that Amravati was a Sena bastion, Thackeray reminded the crowd of the party’s five consecutive victories in parliamentary elections from the region. He vowed revenge for betrayals, while emphasizing that unlike their opponents, they would not resort to cowardly tactics. Thackeray also criticized the current state of affairs under the NDA government, likening the situation to an Emergency.
In a direct attack on the PM, Thackeray declared that Modi’s tenure was effectively over, referring to him as a former PM. He questioned the PM on his promises, asking whether he delivered on his commitment to deposit ₹15 lakh into every citizen’s account and double farmers’ income.
“When undivided Shiv Sena and BJP were in alliance, how many times did the PM come for election rallies? Now, he is touring lanes and bylanes. We want ‘Bharat Sarkar’ and not ‘Modi Sarkar’. It was our blunder that we supported him in 2014 and 2019,” he said.
Questioning the Modi govt’s steps to curb farm suicides, Thackeray said the PM had no right to ask Congress on what it did in 70 years when it was in power.
Pointing out that Vidarbha’s backlog was not removed in all these years, the former CM said Modi can’t wipe farmers’ tears with his rhetoric. “Why have you not developed Vidarbha during your regime? You failed to bring a single big industry. Instead, major industries are moved to Gujarat,” he said.
Targeting finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the UBT Sena chief said she declared the NDA govt would bring back electoral bonds, while freezing Congress bank accounts. “BJP is spending crores on advertisements, where does this money come from? The PM says they are depositing ₹6,000 in accounts of over 11 crore farmers, but it imposed 18% GST on fertilizers,” he said.
Claiming that the April 26 elections would be a fight between democracy and dictatorship, the former CM alleged the BJP govt had a sinister design to change the Constitution. “We will not allow any tinkering with sacred documents drafted by Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. MVA would soon release its joint manifesto, which promises jobs, education and healthcare facilities. You need to choose between Modi’s guarantee and my promise,” he said.