Raj Thackeray slams BJP over alliances, state poll results
Pawar had faced corruption allegations in the water irrigation scam, but despite this, he joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in 2023 and became Deputy Chief Minister, said Thackeray.
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In an open letter to MNS workers, Raj Thackeray wrote: “First of all, I congratulate you for once again raising your strong voice for the Marathi issue in Maharashtra.(Express File Photo)Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Thursday attacked the BJP, criticizing the party’s political alliances, its inconsistencies, and raising doubts over the results of the Maharashtra Assembly elections.
Addressing a rally of the MNS in Mumbai on Thursday, Thackeray pulled up the BJP for its contradictory stance on corruption, accusing the party of failing to act on its own allegations. “The BJP had promised to imprison those involved in corruption, but instead of taking action, they brought these very leaders into their cabinet,” said Thackeray, in an oblique reference to Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
Pawar had faced corruption allegations in the water irrigation scam, but despite this, he joined the Eknath Shinde-led government in 2023 and became Deputy Chief Minister, said Thackeray.
“The BJP levelled serious accusations against leaders such as Hemant Biswa Sharma, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Ajit Pawar, Harshvardhan Patil, Narayan Rane, and Ashok Chavan. Yet, the party not only brought these leaders into their fold but made them ministers and even Deputy Chief Minister. Prime Minister Modi himself accused Ajit Pawar of corruption, only to embrace him later,” said Thackeray.
The MNS chief also took a potshot at Devendra Fadnavis, accusing him of hypocrisy. “Fadnavis and Kirit Somaiya had accused several individuals, but today, those very same people are sitting in the Cabinet with him,” he remarked.
BJP leader and minister Ashish Shelar accused Thackeray of spreading misinformation. Shelar asserted that the BJP never engages in “politics of negotiations and adjustments.”
During the rally, Thackeray also expressed skepticism over the election results, questioning how the Ajit Pawar-led NCP managed to win 41 seats when many had expected the party to secure no more than four to five seats. Thackeray pointed out that the NCP had only won one seat in the Lok Sabha elections.
Thackeray also addressed the recurring criticism against him that he frequently changes his political stance. “People say I change my position, but do they understand what that really means? Look at others who switch sides for their personal gain. The current Cabinet is full of leaders who once belonged to Shiv Sena and Congress. They’re not questioned, yet I’m the one criticized for shifting my stance,” he said.
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