In a scathing attack, without naming ally Congress, which has repeatedly spoken of going solo in future elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that his party would “neither act feeble nor carry one’s weight for the sake of power and walking with pride remains the only motto”.
In his speech on the party’s 55th foundation day, Mr. Thackeray highlighted the importance of a federal structure by congratulating the voters of West Bengal, and reiterated that “no political party has a patent on Hindutva as Sena still maintains it [Hindutva] in its heart”.
“Some people are giving the slogans of self strength. We can do the same. But what exactly you mean by self strength? Of course it is important and much-needed. It is not limited to elections but required to seek justice as well, as Shiv Sena did for the Marathi speaking population in Mumbai and Maharashtra,” Mr. Thackeray said in an online address to party workers.
State Congress president Nana Patole had said last week that his party would go solo in the next polls. At a party programme on Saturday, too, Mr. Patole talked about making the Congress “the number one in Maharashtra” while few others sought approval to go solo in future elections.
Mr. Thackeray, without naming the Congress, said that while people were battling COVID-19 and facing financial problems, slogans of going solo in elections or on self-strength meant no good.
“People will beat us. What’s the use of this self-strength if people are being forced to beg on the road? What are we going to use this power for? We must fight this calamity by giving up election-to-election mindset,” the Maharashtra CM said.
He maintained that he was “not a palanquin bearer” and wouldn’t “act feeble for the sake of power”. “We will walk on our feet with pride. This is our motto,” he said.
Applauding the federal structure of the country, Mr. Thackeray congratulated the voters of West Bengal. “They upheld regional pride,” he said.
Attacking the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Thackeray said that some were of the view that the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) would “make us lose Hindutva”. “Nobody has a patent on Hindutva. Our Hindutva is our nationality. It remains in our hearts,” he said.
While Mr. Thackeray did not comment on the allegations of corruption in the construction of the Ram temple at Ayodhya, he did praise the party workers involved in a scuffle with those from the BJP. “But that shouldn’t be our only identity. We are known for donating blood too, when needed,” he said.