NANDED: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray of betraying the BJP for the chief minister's post after the Maharashtra Assembly elections in 2019 by joining hands with Nationalist Congress Party and Congress.
Addressing a rally at Nanded as a part of the BJP's outreach campaign to mark the completion of nine years of the Narendra Modi government, Shah said the BJP didn't bring down the Thackeray-led MVA government last year.
He said Shiv Sainiks who were tired of Thackeray's policies and were not ready to go with the NCP headed by Sharad Pawar.
He said in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, people have to decide who will become the prime minister of the country — Narendra Modi or Congress' Rahul Gandhi.
"I as (then) BJP president and (the then chief minister) Devendra Fadnavis had carried out negotiations in which Thackeray agreed that if the NDA gets majority, Fadnavis will be the chief minister (again) of Maharashtra. However, after the results (in 2019), Thackeray broke the promise and sat in the Congress-NCP's lap," Shah added.
The Shiv Sena (undivided) and the BJP contested the 2019 Assembly polls together, but the former walked out of the alliance over the post of chief minister.
"The act of cheating and betrayal was done by Uddhav Thackeray. The elections were contested in the name of Modi ji and Devendra ji and he sat in the lap of Congress to become chief minister," Shah said.
Leaders of the Shiv Sena (UBT) routinely dub lawmakers who owe allegiance to Chief Minister Shinde, whose rebellion in June last year split the party founded by the late Bal Thackeray, as traitors who betrayed the Thackerays and the party.
Shah said the Shiv Sena, which is now headed by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, has got back its bow and arrow and it has been decided who the real Shiv Sena is.
He dared Thackeray to make his stand clear on whether he agreed with abolishing the practice of triple talaq, the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, the Uniform Civil Code and reservation for Muslims.
Shah also targeted Thackeray over the Congress' stand on Hindutva ideologue late VD Savarkar. He said while being with the Congress and the NCP, Thackeray cannot support the renaming of Aurangabad as Sambhajinagar, Osmanabad as Dharashiv and also Ahmednagar.
In his last cabinet meeting last year, Thackeray had decided to change the names of Aurangabad to Sambhajinagar and Osmanabad to Dharashiv.
"You cannot have your feet in two boats. You will be exposed before the people of the state," Shah said in a swipe at Thackeray.
Shah said during the COVID-19 pandemic while Modi was giving vaccines to countrymen, Thackeray did not go to office. Thackeray had received flak for not going to the office during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In his revised autobiography released last month, NCP president Sharad Pawar said although the middle class liked Thackeray's Facebook Live during the COVID-19 pandemic, him going to Mantralaya (the state secretariat) just twice was difficult to fathom.
Shah said four generations of the Congress could not achieve what Modi did in nine years.
He said Prime Minister Modi is working to raise the stature of India globally, while on the other hand, the Congress' "prince" Rahul Gandhi goes abroad and insults the country.
"Rahul baba, one does not talk about the country's politics when he is abroad. If you don't know about this then ask senior Congress leaders. Rahul baba does not speak in the country. He talks abroad because there are very few in the country who listen to him," Shah said.
The senior BJP leader said a magnificent Ram Temple will be built in Ayodhya by 2024.