Uddhav invokes Ratan Tata's legacy at Dussehra rally as he jabs Eknath Shinde's Sena
Thackeray said the BJP should be ashamed of calling itself "Bharatiya", comparing it to the Kauravas.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Saturday invoked late industrialist Ratan Tata during the party's annual Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park as he took swipe at the rival Shiv Sena of Eknath Shinde. Tata, who passed away on October 9 at the age of 86, was honoured with a moment of silence led by party chief Uddhav Thackeray before he addressed the crowd.
"Tata gave us salt which spices our food. But some industrialists are taking away Mumbai's saltpan lands," Thackeray said in his speech, without naming anybody.
During the rally, Thackeray shared a personal memory of Tata, recalling a conversation in which Tata emphasised the shared legacies they carried forward.
“Late Ratan Tata once came to my house and after returning from 'Matoshree' he told me that Uddhav you and I have a legacy and heritage behind us which we have to take forward,” Thackeray said.
"Ratan Tata has the legacy of his father, and I have the legacy of my father Balasaheb Thackeray," he added, reaffirming his belief that his faction represented the true Shiv Sena.
In a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Thackeray accused the party of arrogance, comparing it to the Kauravas from the Mahabharata. "The BJP should be ashamed of calling itself 'Bharatiya.' It has lost its way," he said, ahead of the Maharashtra assembly elections.
He also took aim at the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), suggesting the organisation should reconsider whether the "hybrid BJP" of today aligns with its values.
Thackeray also promised to build temples of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in every district of the state after coming to power.
He parted ways with the BJP in 2019 as he did not believe in its version of Hindutva, but he never abandoned his father Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, the former chief minister said.
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