Don’t undermine my political weight; will bring down Babri power structure in Maharashtra: Fadnavis

In an apparent retort to Thackeray’s remarks made during BKC rally on Saturday, Fadnavis, at a public rally held in Goregaon, said, “Uddhavji mocked my kar seva and role in Babri structure demolition. He ridiculed me for being heavy in weight and said that if I had stepped on Babri mosque, it would have automatically come down… today, I would like to thank Thackeray for showing such confidence in me.”

The former CM added, “Yes, when I participated in Ayodhya movement, I was already the youngest elected corporator at 21 years. My weight was 128 kg. And now I am 102 kg…I would like to warn Thackeray not to undermine my political weight. I assure you, I will bring down the Babri power structure in Maharashtra.”

Fadnavis said, “Thackeray is perhaps the only CM in the country who feels the Prime Minister’s meetings are for entertainment. Not surprising then that he has been running the state government like IPL — basking in power to enjoy and entertain himself.”

Fadnavis alleged that Thackeray was “basking in the comforts of his palatial home” over the last two-and-a-half years when “more than one-and-a-half lakh people died due to Covid, farmers are reeling in financial crisis and committing suicides, migrants were driven out of city and left starving…” Thackeray is perhaps the only CM who did not step out of his house in last two years, he added.

Countering the Shiv Sena’s charge that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was trying to break Mumbai away from Maharashtra, Fadnavis said, “It is a false campaign against the BJP and the Centre. Mumbai was, is and will remain an integral part of Maharashtra.”

He said the BJP was talking of transforming Mumbai by dislodging “the corrupt Shiv Sena rule in BMC (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation)”. Fadnavis said, “We want to provide relief to Mumbaikars who have been ruthlessly looted by the the Shiv Sena in last several years.”

During his rally, Fadnavis also tried to draw parallels between Sena founder Bal Thackeray’s Hindutva with that of his son, Uddhav Thackeray.

“Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray never compromised on Hindutva whereas Uddhav Thackeray compromised Hindutva to retain seat of power,” he added.

Fadnavis said, “A classic example of this is that independent MLA Ravi Rana and his MP wife Navneet Rana were arrested under sedition charges for chanting Hanuman Chalisa. But when AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi paid his respects at Aurangazeb’s tomb, Thackeray showed no courage to arrest him under sedition charges.”
The opposition leader said, “I have often said the BJP-NCP alliance, which was short-lived, was a mistake. But even if the alliance had worked, I guarantee there would have been no scope of accommodating any Dawood Ibrahim associate. Instead, I would have walked out and preferred to remain out of power unlike Thackeray who has compromised and retained Nawab Malik even after knowing about his deals and association with Dawood Ibrahim associates.”
Fadnavis said Thackeray has compromised with Hindutva to “please the Congress and its high command Sonia Gandhi so that they don’t withdraw support to the three-party coalition”.