Kick-starting the BJP campaign for Mumbai civic body polls Union Minister Amit Shah attacked the Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray and called them betrayers. He also asked his party workers to teach Uddhav Thackeray a lesson in the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
The senior BJP leader arrived in Mumbai last Sunday, while on Monday, he met Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and then later along with his family members took the darshan of Lalbaug cha Raja. He also visited BJP’s Mumbai unit president Ashish Shelar’s Ganesh Mandal and later addressed the party workers.
Shah told his party leaders and workers in Mumbai, "You can tolerate anything but not tolerate betrayal by anyone. Everyone knew how Uddhav Thackeray cheated us in 2019. Those who betrayed us should be punished and lessons should be taught to them."
He recalled that in 2014, Shiv Sena broke the alliance with BJP just for two seats in state assembly elections.
"We never considered ourselves as big brother and younger brother. Shiv Sena betrayed us by stabbing our back. They defeated our candidates by fielding independent candidates or supporting rival candidates in elections. Shiv Sena and BJP fought the elections together and sought the votes in 2019 on PM Narendra Modi’s name and worked of erstwhile CM Devendra Fadnavis. But later they ditched us and formed a government with Congress and NCP," Shah said.
Shah said that the time has come to show the place to Uddhav Thackeray in BMC elections. "The BJP should only have dominance in Mumbai. Party workers should work hard to show the place to Uddhav Thackeray."
While Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the BJP should fight BMC elections as its last elections. "In this election, the real Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde is with us. At the Ganesh Chathurthi festival, BJP is everywhere. Shiv Sena is nowhere seen during this festival. Actually, Shiv Sena used to have dominance in Ganesh festival," he said.
He added that "Abhi nahi to kabhi nahi (if not this time, then never) BJP will win the BMC elections. "We should fight the BMC elections in the spirit that it is our last elections." In the 2017 BMC elections, BJP had won 83 seats while Shiv Sena had won 83 seats among 227 members of the House.
Reacting to Amit Shah's attack, former Shiv Sena mayor Kishori Pednekar said that the entire world knows who cheated. "We have set out target ‘mission 150’ in BMC elections. People are not concerned about their local issues. Our local party branches – Shakhas are working round the clock for the service of people," she said.