Mumbai: Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena president and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray for ‘backstabbing’ the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and urged party workers not to tolerate traitors’.
“The time has come to show him his place and teach him a lesson. Don’t make a habit of tolerating traitors. You can overlook anything in politics, but not treachery. Those who betray others must be punished,” Shah said at a meeting with BJP leaders and workers in Mumbai, ahead of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.
“Our target is to win 150 seats in the BMC polls. Thackeray betrayed the BJP after seeking votes in the name of Narendra Modi and Devendra Fadnavis. Now our workers must show him his place. BJP must dominate in Mumbai,” was Shah’s message for party workers.
The Home minister claimed that Shiv Sena broke its alliance with BJP in 2014 for only 2 seats, and reiterated that there was no ‘commitment’ made to Thackeray in the 2019 elections on the post of chief minister.
The BJP-Sena alliance won 159 seats out of 288 in the 2019 Maharashtra assembly polls, but Uddhav’s party pulled out to form the government with Congress and NCP.
The Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi alliance, however, disintegrated following the rebellion of Sena MLAs led by Eknath Shinde. Shinde and the rebels, supported by BJP, formed the news government in June.
“The Sena was destroyed and has become weak due to its arrogance and politics of treason,” said Shah.
