Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj Thackeray, leader of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and its allies over 'fake' Hindutva and raised pitch for Marathi manoos.
The estranged brothers who came together recently said they decided to bury their differences as Mumbai was facing imminent danger. The Maratha leaders said they decided to fight the Mumbai civic polls together for Marathi manoos, Hindus, and Maharashtra.
At a joint rally in Mumbai, Ra Thackeray said, "This is the last election for Marathi manoos. If he makes a mistake now, the battle (for Mumbai) will be lost forever." Referring Tamil Nadu BJP leader K. Annamalai's recent comments, Raj questioned the government whether the BJP was planning to rename Mumbai as 'Bombay'.
The Thackeray brothers also targeted the BJP over its alleged ties with industrialist Gautam Adani. "In the world, there is no other person as wealthy as someone who became so rich in ten years like Adani. Why is the government so benevolent to only Adani?" Raj asked. He added they are not opposed, "but if you try to impose it on us, we will respond with force."
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The MNS leader alleged the government wants to move all flight operations from Mumbai airport to the newly built Navi Mumbai airport and place the latter for sale. "They (BJP) have always had in mind to punish Mumbai and link it to Gujarat. To do that, they will have to capture Palghar district, Thane district, and parts of the MMR region," he charged, adding, "Once Mumbai is out of our hands, Maharashtra will not be different from Jharkhand."
Accusing the BJP of practising 'fake' Hindutva, Uddhav Thackeray said, "BJP's Hindutva and nationalism are fake. The BJP has become a party that says corruption first, instead of nation first." The leaders urged Marathis in all parties to unite for Maharashtra.
