Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray
With just two weeks to go for Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray tells NDTV that he never thought the Sena-BJP alliance would end.
Speaking on NDTV's show
Walk The Talk, the Sena chief says his party was ready to compromise, but the BJP wasn't.
These are the highlights of his interview:
- Never thought BJP, Shiv Sena alliance would end
- We thought this was 'Amar Prem' but it became a 'Kati Patang'
- I'm not happy at whatever happened. The whole of Maharashtra isn't happy...
- Both parties tried till the end, but don't know how this happened
- It is not as if there have been no difference in the past 25 years... people knew how far to stretch it
- But there is now a new generation of leaders... Balasaheb isn't there anymore... Pramodji, Gopinathji are also not there so it was as if a link was broken
- Perhaps generational differences led to breaking up of alliance
- Everyone used to come to Matoshree and all differences were settled here
- There were differences that would crop up but everyone thought the alliance shouldn't break
- When we won the (national) elections, we gave the thumbs up sign... we campaigned hard
- This time when Amit Shah came to the house, he said speak to (Om Prakash) Mathur and Devendra (Fadnavis)... they said we should give our allies some seats and divide the rest 50-50
- I said how have you arrived at this 50-50 formula? And why should I leave 34 seats?
- Have my Shiv Sainiks not worked hard? How shall I lead them? They'll think kya laachar neta hain, jhuk gaya
- I said we'll give BJP as many as 119 and we'll contest on 151. I told them after the elections - you became big... whether we support you or not it doesn't matter... people have supported you and you have a majority (in Parliament)
- Till last time, Maharashtra leaders used to settle everything... this is the first time someone from Delhi came... I don't know how much he knows about Maharashtra... a 25-year alliance was broken
- Narendra Modi never called me, I never called him... we've been told from Day 1 it is the parliamentary board's decision... we've been with them since the time there was no board and they had two MPs
- I never wanted to break the alliance
- On the last day, Mathurji called me... Anil Desai and Diwakar Raute went to speak... they wanted some specific seats which we could not give
- Then they said we will decide in our core committee... our people were waiting but then we were told the BJP members had left.... in the evening Eknath Khadse called me and said the alliance is on the verge of breaking. I told him there are still two days
- They refused to come to Matoshree so I sent two of my senior leaders and also my son Aditya Thackeray so that they should not feel that they were ignored. I had sent him symbolically... if they felt insulted then that is an insult to the youth of this country
- I still have respect for Narendra Modi
- Why he did not call is his party matter, what can I say
- Need to see how much truth in the rumours of BJP-NCP deal... BJP had wanted to bring NCP into NDA, I had rallied against that and so did Gopinathji and others
- They haven't communicated anything to me about a tie-up with NCP after state polls. But the rumours are flying thick & fast
- It's like you say in TV, keep watching to find out what happens ahead
- People are upset with the split - logon ke man mein gussa hai
- Shiv Sena was ready to compromise but not the BJP
- Whether I want to be Maharashtra chief minister or not is irrelevant