Uddhav calls Shah political heir of Ahmad Shah Abdali, accuses BJP of indulging in ‘power jihad’

Thackeray accused the BJP, a former ally, of orchestrating splits in political parties, notably the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)

PUNE: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of engaging in “power jihad” by destabilising political parties to remain in power. Thackeray was speaking in Pune as a part of the party’s meet ahead of the crucial assembly polls likely to be held in October this year.

Uddhav Thackeray during Shivsena Shivsampark rally at Sri Ganesh kala krida rangmanch Swargate in Pune.

Responding to union home minister Amit Shah’s July 21 remark labelling him as the leader of the “Aurangzeb Fan Club”, Thackeray called Shah a “political heir” of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan ruler who defeated the Marathas in the battle of Panipat.

Thackeray accused the BJP, a former ally, of orchestrating splits in political parties, notably the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Referring to a letter from the former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Balasaheb Deoras to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Thackeray pointed out that Deoras emphasised no hatred toward Muslims or non-Hindus and upheld secularism as a valued Hindu trait. Thackeray questioned whether this form of Hindutva was unacceptable to Shah.

He claimed that the people of Maharashtra delivered a strong message to Shah during the recent Lok Sabha elections, stating that after campaigning and facing voter backlash, Shah returned to his leaders to assess the political damage. He told his party workers in Pune that, according to the BJP, aligning with Muslims after explaining their version of Hindutva equates to being part of the “Aurangzeb Fan Club” and accused the saffron party of engaging in “power jihad”.

Thackeray expressed his desire to win the assembly election for Pune’s development, a goal he had during his tenure as the chief minister, and promised to build roads that would last for 200 years if given the opportunity to lead the state again.

BJP leader and deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis criticised Thackeray, calling him “disappointed and frustrated” and suggested that the Sena leader’s remarks were evidence of his unstable state of mind and affiliation with the “Aurangzeb Fan Club”.

Commenting on Thackeray’s statement, Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan said, “I think Uddhav Thackeray has lost his mental balance. He had earlier commented on PM Modi and Maharashtra deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis. Today, he made wrong comments about the home minister of India Amit Shah...Elections are very far, I don’t know till then what kind of language he will use... .”