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Thackeray responds to Fadnavis’s janab jibe, asks if BJP be called Pakistan Janata Party
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its janab jibe, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday questioned if the former be called Pakistan Janata Party or Hizbul Janata Party for forming a government with the “pro-separatist” party of Mehbooba Mufti (Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015
Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for its janab jibe, chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday questioned if the former be called Pakistan Janata Party or Hizbul Janata Party for forming a government with the “pro-separatist” party of Mehbooba Mufti (Jammu and Kashmir Peoples Democratic Party) in Jammu and Kashmir in 2015.
The Shiv Sena chief also ruled out an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and called its alliance offer a conspiracy of the BJP to defame the Sena. Thackeray said the Sena was a staunch Hindutvawadi and that it would not compromise with it for power.
Leader of the opposition Devendra Fadnavis told the media on Saturday that since all (parties) of them were one, their coming together could not be ruled out.
“We will be keeping a close watch on the Sena on what its role will be if the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) ties up with the AIMIM. It has already started the azaan competition and may even change the name of its founder from Hindu Hridaysamrat to Janab Balasaheb Thackeray,” the BJP leader said.
The BJP had in 2021 targeted its former saffron ally over an Urdu calendar printed by the Wadala branch of the Sena’s youth wing, Yuva Sena. The calendar referred to Sena supremo Bal Thackeray as Janab Balasaheb Thackeray. Since then, the BJP has used it against the Sena questioning its Hindutva credentials.
In a 32-minute virtual address to Sena MPs and district heads at Shiv Sena Bhavan, Thackeray directed party functionaries to expose the BJP’s conspiracy to defame and destroy the Sena and its Hindutva during its four-day ‘Shiv Samvad’ tour of Marathwada and Vidarbha from March 22.
“The Sena is being called Janab Sena. We have not abandoned Hindutva. Look at the conspiracy; the AIMIM gave an offer to join the MVA for no reason. This is the real plot: the AIMIM would make the offer and then the BJP would criticise it. Even if I die, we will not go with them who bow down at the tomb of Aurangzeb. The issue is raised unnecessarily to show that we are moving away from Hindutva. We are not helpless for power like the BJP. We can’t go with the AIMIM,” he said.
Thackeray further said the Sena could not be as shameless as the BJP which allied with Mufti, who did not want to hang Afzal Guru, for power. “I will never let that happen. Even if I get power, I will not go with the AIMIM.”
The Sena chief’s remarks came a day after the AIMIM offered to tie up with the NCP and the Congress to defeat the BJP in the state. The statements also assume significance ahead of the local body elections.
Responding to the attack, Fadnavis said the Sena’s helplessness for power was seen in 2019 when its leaders got elected using Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pictures but instead went with the Congress and the NCP to form government in Maharashtra.
“Now whether they go with the AIMIM or not is their issue. They write janab before Balasaheb Thackeray, organise azaan competitions, and build Urdu homes; so, their political leanings are quite clear. More importantly, they are now opposing Modi ji on national issues, including on [repealing Article] 370,” the former chief minister said.
Thackeray said history was being torn apart which needed to be exposed by the Sena. “In the past, they used to say that Islam was under threat, but now they are saying Hindus are under threat…to spread fear every time. History is being torn apart and this plot must be exposed.”
Fadnavis countered: “They don’t know the history of the country. The BJP removed Article 370, built the Ram Temple [in Ayodhya], and it was the BJP and not the Sena which unfurled the tricolour at Lal Chowk.”
Thackeray in his address reminded the BJP of the statements of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat on opening Sangh branches in Muslim-dominated areas. “Bhagwat said the ancestors of Hindus and Muslims were one. They are now saying that the Sena has become pro-Muslim. If you call me janab, what are you going to say to your Sarsanghchalak [head of RSS]? Are you going to add Khan or janab to Mohan Bhagwat’s name? You first need to understand what Hindutva is.”
The Sena chief added, “If we become pro-Muslim just because we shattered your dreams of coming to power, then you must listen to what Bhagwat said. So, should we call it RSS Muslim Sangh or Rashtriya Muslim Sangh?”
He asked party workers to expose the RSS’s and the BJP’s “love” for Muslims. “The BJP’s Hindutva is a pretense and the people need to know about it. Several pro-Pakistan things took place under their government. It was [Atal Bihari] Vajpayee who started the India-Pakistan bus service. Even then, it was criticised. We have seen who bowed down at Jinnah’s grave [in Pakistan]. Then, despite not being invited, we saw Modi eating the birthday cake of [the then Pakistani prime minister] Nawaz Sharif. Should we call it the Pakistan Janata Party or Hizbul Janata Party?”
Thackeray said the party needed to prepare for 2024 and find good workers and “winnable candidates” in the areas that were previously only contested and won by the BJP. “We had contested all [288] seats in 2014 after the BJP snapped the alliance. They had prepared well and we did not, so we should start now. Why don’t we get good workers in the constituencies that have traditionally been with the BJP? Next time I want winnable candidates in these constituencies.”
Thackeray also said the BJP’s mission to have power from panchayat to parliament was where the Sena needed to give it a fight. He called the BJP’s quest for power signs of dictatorship. “As I had said earlier, we did not take all elections seriously barring Lok Sabha, Vidhan Sabha, and a few municipal corporations, but this will not work now. The BJP’s dream is to rule right from panchayat to parliament; we must give them a fight. They are going with a dictatorial mindset to keep power under their thumbs. These are warning signs of deadly dictatorship.”
The Sena chief also said that the MPs must dispel the illusion created by the BJP against the party. “You should take the Sena’s Hindutva to all the houses in the villages of Maharashtra. Also, tell them about the BJP’s ploy to create an illusion about the Sena.”
Thackeray attacked Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari for not approving the 12 names recommended by his cabinet to the upper house of the state legislature from governor quota. “For anything, term it a murder of democracy. The high court passed strictures on the nomination of 12 people. Isn’t it the murder of democracy?” he asked.
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