We are not a sinking ship, says Uddhav

Urging party leaders and office-bearers to gear up the party machinery for the elections, he asked them to focus on issues affecting people at the grassroots

MUMBAI: “We are not a sinking ship. It’s the BJP’s ship, which is overloaded, that will go under.” It’s all Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray could manage as a rallying cry ahead of local body elections in Maharashtra, including the all-important contest for Mumbai’s civic body, the country’s wealthiest municipal corporation.

The Sena (UBT) chief insisted that party leaders focus on local issues (ANI Photo) (Nitin Lawate)

At a meeting of party office-bearers, leaders, MPs and MLAs at Shiv Sena Bhavan in Dadar on Saturday, the first of its kind ahead of the polls, Thackeray said he was determined to fight the BJP but did not comment on a possible alliance with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS). Urging party leaders and office-bearers to gear up the party machinery for the elections, he asked them to focus on issues affecting people at the grassroots.

The Sena (UBT) has been bleeding local leaders and former corporators, who have been wooed by the Mahayuti alliance in recent months. On Saturday, Thackeray chose rhetoric to gloss over the cracks this exodus has left in the party. To counter the perception that the Sena (UBT) is faltering, he told his flock: “A deceitful friend is more dangerous than a big-hearted enemy. The BJP expanded its roots due to help from Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray’s Hindutva. But they betrayed us and used our own people to destroy the party founded by Balasaheb.

“In contrast, the Congress and we were on opposite sides but now they are with us. Congress state president Harshwardhan Sapkal came to see me yesterday. Even though some people are leaving us ahead of the local polls, our party is not a sinking ship. It’s the BJP’s ship, which is overloaded, that will go under,” said Thackeray.

The Sena (UBT) chief insisted that party leaders focus on local issues. “Within a few months, there will local body elections in municipal corporations and zilla parishads. Start preparing for them. Our focus, as a party, should be on highlighting local issues. In Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, for instance, Amabadas Danve highlighted the water crisis in the city. This is who we need to take up local issues,” said Thackeray.

Speaking on the recent Pahalgam attack and Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in India, Thackeray said that despite political differences, he supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi on issues of national security. “We will oppose the Modi government but not the nation. Kashmir belongs to India and will continue to be a part of India. Even if the BJP ceases to exist in India’s politics, Kashmir will always remain a part of India.”

Thackeray welcomed the visit of the joint parliamentary committee reviewing the legislation on introducing simultaneous elections (‘One Nation, One Election’) to Mumbai. But, he said, the Prime Minister and chief minister should not be allowed to campaign during elections.