The union home minister Amit Shah on Monday accused the erstwhile ally Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray of betrayal and backstabbing and exhorted the BJP workers to defeat Thackeray faction in the coming BMC elections.
Shah, who is on a two day Mumbai visit after taking the darshan of Lalbaghcha Raja addressed the party officer bearers while launching BJP’s poll campaign. Shah amid the ongoing legal battle between Thackeray faction and Shinde camp asserted that Eknath Shinde led Shiv Sena is the real one.
"BJP’s target is to win 150 seats in BMC elections. Uddhav Thackeray ditched BJP by breaking alliance in 2014 only for two seats. Uddhav Thackeray betrayed BJP after seeking votes on the names of Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis. Time has come to show Thackeray his place,’’ said Shah.
"Those who ditch somebody in politics never become successful. They should be punished. BJP should dominate the politics in Mumbai. Shiv Sena under Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership has become weak and reached its present state due to its politics of betrayal,’’ said Shah in his hard hitting speech.
Shah spelt out BJP’s future political line saying that the party wants to end the anti Hindu politics in Maharashtra. "You (Shiv Sena) asked for votes in the name of Narendra Modi and on the work of Devendra Fadnavis. You have betrayed the people,’’ he noted.
Shah asked the party workers to hit the field in a bid to achieve its Mission 2022.
In his speech the deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis exhorted the party workers to work hard for BJP’s victory in the BMC elections.
"Treat the upcoming BMC elections as the last one and work hard for the party's victory. The original Shiv Sena (Shinde camp) is now with us in Mumbai. There should be only one objective that is to win the BMC elections. All party office bearers and former corporators have an important role to play to achieve 'Mission Mumbai' target,’’ he said, adding that BJP is dominated everywhere during the ongoing Ganapati festival in Mumbai.
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