‘BJP does not have the courage to face people’

Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and the party chief Uddhav Thackeray are rebuilding the party after chief minister Eknath Shinde exited with 40 MLAs over a year ago. Aaditya is also hands-on with arrangements for the forthcoming INDIA meet in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader, Aaditya Thackeray, 33, has been busy holding meetings with party functionaries in Mumbai and neighbouring districts along with his father, the party chief Uddhav Thackeray. The two are rebuilding the party after chief minister Eknath Shinde exited with 40 MLAs over a year ago. Aaditya is also hands-on with arrangements for the forthcoming INDIA meet in Mumbai on August 31 and September 1. He took out time to speak to HT about the situation in the state after the NCP split, MVA and other issues. Excerpts from an interview:

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray speaks with the media during a press conference, in Mumbai, Monday, Aug. 7, 2023. (PTI Photo/Shashank Parade) (PTI08_07_2023_000162B) (PTI)

The INDIA coalition will meet in the city at the end of the month. Is INDIA shaping up in Maharastra? The alliance seems to have received a serious setback after the split in NCP. Will Shiv Sena (UBT) continue to remain in the opposition coalition?

Democracy is under threat in India, considering the way the central government is smashing things everywhere. It has led to many parties coming together from different regions to raise the voice of Bharat. The country should be run by listening to people’s contribution in the administration from different regions. There is no pluralistic voice today. There is only one rule, one voice from one party.

People are connecting with us and INDIA is taking shape not just in Maharashtra but across the country. It is the coming together of a democratic alliance.

With splits in two parties since June 2022, the MVA doesn’t seem a formidable coalition, unlike the BJP-led coalition. Have they turned the tables on you?

The bigger question is what has the BJP achieved? How do they reconcile with the fact that they have inducted the same people (Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction) in the government against whom they made serious allegations of corruption and mis-governance?

BJP broke two parties using central agencies. They even broke a family (Pawars). Look at the government today – there are 40 ministers of which only six are hardcore BJP members. So what has the party achieved and what has Maharashtra achieved? Today we are not on the radar any industrial group for investment. Look at the state of environment and crime rate. The ruling party MLAs are committing crimes against women, beating up journalists and their kin are kidnapping businessmen. They are infringing on the rights of people with impunity. Is this what the BJP wanted in Maharashtra? Their hatred for Maharashtra is very clear.

It’s more than a year since the Shiv Sena split. Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and you are rebuilding the party. What are the challenges, especially with continuous defections from your party?

Just like that famous Bollywood dialogue: ‘Mere pass gaadi hai, bungalow hai, tere paas kya hai? Mere paas maa hai’, we have the support of people which is enormous power. People support us for the genuine work done by us, particularly during the pandemic; for not running away and fighting, unlike the chief minister who got scared of going to the jail and ran towards BJP.

The government has initiated probe into the functioning of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) when it was ruled by your party and the Covid spends. Your party men are under probe. Your response?

We welcome the probe – that way all our good work will be revealed. Alongside, the government should also have the courage to investigate the functioning of Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Pune, Nashik, Nagpur and some of the other municipal corporations. They should also have the gumption to probe road scam, street furniture scam and sanitary pad vending machine scam in BMC, pointed out by us.

The Shinde-BJP government’s strategy is simple – just make allegations. They are trying to project Maharashtra as a non-progressive state, by defaming the city and the state.

Are you prepared to contest the BMC elections if they are held anytime soon, considering the defections from your party?

We are prepared. But the ruling parties do not have the courage to hold even the Mumbai University senate elections. They have no courage to face the people. In fact, given a choice they would not want to hold the Lok Sabha elections either, because they know the mandate of the people is not with them.

With Lok Sabha elections barely six months away, how will the MVA sort out differences over sharing seats, with partners staking claim on each other’s constituencies?

We are working out a mechanism to sort out contentious issues. Then again, ask BJP how they will give seats to people who they accused were corrupt over the past 10 years.

Prakash Ambedkar from Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi is keen to join MVA but your allies are not. Will you convince Congress and the Sharad Pawar-led NCP to bring him on board?

The MVA consists of Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Congress. Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti have come together in Maharashtra and Jan Shakti is going to give us the strength to counter BJP, CBI, ED and other agencies. People will reject the ‘washing machine’.