Fadnavis: Trusted Balasaheb, but this isn’t the same Sena

Mumbai: In a frontal attack on Shiv Sena chief and chief minister Uddhav Thackeray, opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis said the BJP has risen to rid Mumbai and the BMC of the mafia and looters, and give it back to the real Hindutvawadi.
“They think they only are Maharashtra. Their insult is Maharashtra’s insult and their honour is Maharashtra’s honour,” he said. Attacking Thackeray on the issue of loudspeakers, he said, “They do not have the courage to take down loudspeakers but claim they brought down the dome of the Babri Masjid. Not a single Shiv Sena leader was there when the dome was brought down,” he said.
Highlighting the corruption in the BMC, Fadnavis said, “The BMC election is important because we want to fight for the rights of the Mumbaikars. We had given Mumbai in the hands of the Shiv Sena because we believed in Balasaheb Thackeray, but this is not the same Sena.”
“This is a fight for Mumbai’s freedom…we want to free Mumbai from the mafia, from looters,” he said. Addressing a rally at the Somaiya grounds, Fadnavis said this was not his Pol Khol rally. The Pol Khol rally will be held after May 14. Thackeray recently announced he will be addressing party workers on May 14.
He said Thackeray has helped Mumbai’s builders by waiving of stamp duty and premiums. “He reduced the license fee for bar owners... waived the tax on foreign liquor by 50% but did not reduce the tax on petrol and diesel. This government is for builders, bar owners, drunkards but not for ordinary citizens,” said Fadnavis.