Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday once again extended an invitation to Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, urging him to join his Sena faction and part ways with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if he feels “insulted”.
Thackeray asserted that aligning with the opposition in Maharashtra would secure Gadkari’s victory in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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While addressing a rally in Pusad, located in eastern Maharashtra’s Yavatmal district on Tuesday, Thackeray stated that individuals such as former Congress leader Kripashankar Singh, whom the BJP once targeted over alleged corruption, were included in the saffron party’s initial list of candidates alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
However, Thackeray noted that Nitin Gadkari’s name was conspicuously absent from the list.
“I had told Gadkari this two days ago, and I am repeating it again. If you are being insulted, leave the BJP and join the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). We will ensure your victory. We will make you a minister when our government comes to power, and it will be a post with powers,” he said, as reported by PTI.
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The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) includes the Shiv Sena (UBT), the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP), and the Congress.
Last week, in response to Thackeray’s proposal for Nitin Gadkari to run as an opposition candidate, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis mocked the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, likening it to an ordinary person on the street suggesting someone become the President of the United States.
Although Nitin Gadkari is a prominent BJP leader, his name was absent from the initial list due to ongoing discussions about seat-sharing between the BJP and its allies, as explained by Fadnavis.
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Thackeray, in the meantime, dismissed the recent notification of rules under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act as an “election jumla” (campaign slogan). While expressing a welcome for Hindus, Sikhs, Parsis, and others coming to India from neighbouring countries, he questioned the suspicious timing of the notification, suggesting it coincides with the imminent announcement of elections.
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Highlighting that more than four years have passed since the abrogation of Article 370, Thackeray pointed out the absence of elections in Jammu and Kashmir and the failure of Kashmiri Pandits to return home. He insisted that before implementing the CAA, the BJP should focus on bringing back Kashmiri Pandits.
