Virtually kickstarting the campaign for the upcoming Assembly elections in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) President Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday challenged Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, saying "Either you will survive or I”, triggering a protest from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Speaking at a pre-election preparatory meeting of party workers and leaders from Mumbai, Mr Thackeray said, “We endured everything but stood firm and taught the BJP a lesson in the Lok Sabha elections."
“Our party was broken, we were targeted by central probe agencies, money power was used against us, and they even wanted to throw us in jail… But we survived everything and emerged victorious,” he said amid thunderous applause.
The former chief minister recalled how ex-Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had informed him that Mr Fadnavis was 'conspiring' to dump both Uddhav Thackeray and Aditya Thackeray in jail.
Mr Thackeray warned Mr Fadnavis, saying, “If you act straight we shall be straight, but if you play crooked, we shall do likewise."
"Now either you will stay or I will," he added.
He also reminded the gathering how the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) unitedly won 4 out of 6 LS seats in Mumbai, adding that the opposition's performance made the top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, uncomfortable.
“Listening to PM Modi's speeches has become painful now…" Mr Thackeray said.
On BJP's charges of getting only minority votes in the Lok Sabha polls, Mr Thackeray narrated an incident where a large number of Muslims were present and he asked them if they had reservations about him being a Hindu or his idea of Hindutva, and they unanimously said ‘no'.
Referring to the BJP as a "party of crooks", Mr Thackeray claimed that in the recent past, he met many national Opposition leaders like Mamata Banerjee and Akhilesh Yadav, who paid compliments to him by saying: “Uddhavji, you have shown a direction to the country”.
“I was never elected as a municipal corporator, I directly became the chief minister… I did everything possible. This (Assembly elections) is the last challenge for you. They broke the party. Sena is not a rusty sword, but a sharp weapon, and we must fight to save Mumbai and the state. They must be given a befitting reply,” Mr Thackeray said.
Claiming that those who split and left the party now want to return to the party fold, Mr Thackeray reiterated that those who want to leave can go, but “we will continue the political fight with our Shiv Sainiks as our name has put fear in them”.
Mr Thackeray also said that the dispute over the Shiv Sena name and poll symbol -- which were allotted to the group led by chief minister Eknath Shinde -- has created confusion among the people, “but the Supreme Court verdict will come in our favour”.
Meanwhile, BJP leaders, including state President Chandrashekhar Bawankule, Ashish Shelar, Sudhir Mungantiwar, Pravin Darekar, Ashish Shelar, and others, lashed out at Mr Thackeray, accusing him of “sowing communal divisions among the people”, and saying “you will have to take 100 births before finishing Mr Fadnavis' politics”.
Mr Bawankule said Mr Thackeray has forgotten how he got his MPs elected in Narendra Modi's name, but when he was the chief minister, he backstabbed the BJP and even hatched a conspiracy to put Mr Fadnavis in jail, “but with people's blessings, he could not succeed”.
The state BJP chief alleged Pakistani flags were seen in Mr Thackeray's meetings in Nashik and Mumbai, but now he's talking about finishing Mr Fadnavis.
He also accused Mr Thackeray of provoking such elements and polarising different castes and religions that have lived harmoniously here.
Mr Mungantiwar said the late Balasaheb Thackeray would never have gone with the Congress, but Uddhav Thackeray did and abandoned Hindutva for power.
Slamming Mr Thackeray for making 'personal threats' against the deputy chief minister, Mr Darekar said his comments were manifestations of failure and helplessness, but “in the Assembly elections, PM Modi is not required as Shinde-Fadnavis are sufficient for you”.
Mr Shelar said, “We accept your challenge. The BJP will ensure that the masses show Shiv Sena (UBT) its place in the upcoming elections."
Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders like Chandrakant Khaire, Kishori Pednekar, Kishore Tiwari, and others lauded Mr Thackeray for his bold and no-holds-barred speech, as they took potshots at the BJP saying “don't forget, he is the scion of Balasaheb Thackeray”.
