Uddhav Tahckeray accused the BJP of maligning Maharashtra
Some 3,000 kg of heroin worth thousands of crores of rupees was seized from Mundra port in Gujarat last month, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reminded the BJP during his Dussehra rally speech amid an intense spotlight on what is now being called the Mumbai drugs-on-cruise case. The Chief Minister then threw a fresh challenge for the BJP: "try and topple it (my government)".
"Is it (drugs seizure) only happening in Maharashtra? Drugs worth crores was seized from Mundra Port. While your agencies (NCB) recovering pinch of ganja,our police recovered drugs worth Rs 150 crore. You're interested to catch celebrities and get pictures clicked," Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday.
Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan's son, Aryan, 23, was arrested by the Narcotics Control Bureau or the NCB on October 3 in the drugs on cruise case.
The anti-drugs agency has alleged Aryan - Accused No. 1 - sourced drugs and was in touch with "some persons abroad who appear to be a part of an International Drug Network for illicit procurement of drugs".
The defence's case is that Aryan did not have drugs on him when he was arrested, that he did not have money to purchase drugs, and that he was also not caught consuming them.
Maharashtra and the Sena were being targeted because his party broke off its ties with the BJP, the Chief Minister said.
"We were good when we followed you...Don't use the ED (Enforcement Directorate). Attack from the front. Our government will complete two years next month despite several attempts to topple it. I dare you to topple it," the Chief Minister said.
Accusing the BJP of maligning Maharashtra, he said, "They call Mumbai police mafia, what will you call the UP police then?"
Referring to RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat's recent statement that ancestors of all Indians were same, Mr Thackeray asked, "Did the ancestors of opposition parties and farmers come from a different planet? Struggle for power is not good. Addiction to power is like drug addiction.
"In drug addiction, you destroy yourself and your family. But hunger for power destroys families of others," he said.
Sena workers and people of Maharashtra should emulate the example of Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal which stood up to the BJP, said the Chief Minister.