BJP hits out at Uddhav; Raj spared after show of unity
New Delhi/Mumbai, July 6 -- Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday took a veiled swipe at Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray, who held a joint event with his estranged cousin and MNS chief Raj Thackeray, saying the rally was not a victory celebration but a "rudali darshan" (watching professional mourner in action).
The Thackeray cousins shared the public stage at a victory rally in Mumbai to celebrate the rollback of two government resolutions issued earlier by the Fadnavis-led government introducing Hindi as a third language from class 1 in state schools. The event was originally planned as a protest against the Mahayuti government's decision.
"The rally was not Vijay utsav but a 'rudali' darshan," Fadnavis said, thanking MNS chief Raj Thackeray for crediting him in reuniting the Thackeray cousins.
Addressing the event, Raj credited Fadnavis, albeit in a lighter vein, for bringing together the two cousins which even Bal Thackeray could not do. "Balasaheb Thackeray must be blessing me," Fadnavis said.
The senior BJP leader said no word was spoken about Marathi at the event and the speech (delivered by Uddhav Thackeray) focused on how his government was toppled and how they can regain power.
His remarks come even as the BJP sought to downplay the possible reunion of the Thackeray cousins after nearly two decades, claiming the "inherent differences" in the Opposition's coalition will not affect stability of the party-led Mahayuti government or impact future in Maharashtra.
Senior BJP leaders, however, admitted the coming together of the Thackeray cousins was precipitated by the protest over the state's emphasis on teaching Hindi as the third language in the state where linguistic hegemony of Marathi plays a central role in politics.
"The state government erred in issuing the circular.although it was not issued by the chief minister, there was lag between the time it was issued on April 16 and its withdrawal on June 29, which gave the Opposition an opportunity to attack the Mahayuti," a BJP functionary said.
The leader, however, asserted that the union should not be read as a "threat to the Mahayuti" because the Opposition lacks unity and has used the language issue as a platform to widen the anti-BJP front ahead of the municipal polls.
"Opposition's unity will be tested when BMC elections are announced," the functionary said....
To read the full article or to get the complete feed from this publication, please
Contact Us.