Will ‘sinking Katenge’ and ‘voting for jihad’ solve people’s problems?: Uddhav Thackeray | Mumbai news

Mumbai: Two and a half years after his party split and his government was ousted, former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray immediately moved to take his revenge. He is traveling across Maharashtra and appeals to the people to teach a lesson to the “traitors” who sided with the Bharatiya Janata Party and those planning the Eknath Shinde-led rebellion in 2022.

In an exclusive interview with Shailesh Gaikwad on Saturday, Thackeray said that BJP leaders are using polarizing slogans like “batenge toh katenge” (If we are divided, we will be hacked) and issues like “vote for jihad” just to avoid responding to people. problems such as unemployment, inflation and agricultural crisis. He said Maha Vikas Aghadi’s priority is to eliminate the “anti-Maharashtra” government. Excerpts from the interview:

The mood seen in the Lok Sabha polls is not visible now. Do you think MVA is lacking in effort compared to Mahayuti who is trying his best?

The mood changed; It’s better (for us) than the Lok Sabha polls. People have already made up their minds. I see this clearly when I speak at rallies. When I raise problems, people react before I even finish my sentences. This means that what we want to tell them has already reached them. They made up their minds and decided who to vote for. After the Lok Sabha, people believe that they can dismiss this government.

There was a lot of infighting within the MVA over seat sharing. State Congress president Nana Patole also said that the MVA was wasting time in seat-sharing talks, so allies should make extra efforts to reach out to the people.

Did you see the strife in Mahayuti? I wonder what’s going on with Mahayuti after two and a half years of running the government together. As for the efforts, even (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi and (Union home minister Amit) Shah are trying. We all need to make an effort in the elections.

For the last few days, the BJP has been raising the issue of “vote for jihad” followed by slogans like “batenge toh katenge”. How do you react to this?

They bring up this slogan of “batenge toh katenge” which is often used by Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Aditynath. When were Hindus divided? I served as prime minister for two and a half years. Has even a single Hindu been attacked in Maharashtra during my tenure? Delhi witnessed communal riots but no such incident took place in Maharashtra. This might be happening in Yogi Adityanath’s case. And if he is there, is he worthy to continue as prime minister? It’s been 10 years since Modi became the prime minister and if you still want to use “batenge toh katenge”, it says a lot about your performance. All of this is done because they cannot find solutions to problems such as unemployment, agricultural crisis and inflation.

Union home minister Amit Shah and other BJP leaders accuse you of appeasing Muslims.

They should tell me when the purchasing price of soybeans and cotton will increase. What are they doing about inflation? When do they give jobs to young people? These issues are related to people’s lives. Why did they shift industries from Maharashtra to Gujarat? Why don’t they talk about this “plunder of Maharashtra” (Loot of Maharashtra) first? Let the election be made on these issues. Will “Batenge toh katenge” and “oy jihad” solve the problems of the people?

NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar and deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar recently talked about the meetings held at Gautam Adani’s house in 2019 to form the BJP-NCP government…

What was the reason behind the efforts to overthrow my government? They fail to see Mumbai as the financial capital. They shifted important industries, corporate companies, diamond market and international financial center to Gujarat. They even looted the treasury of the Mumbai civic body. There were fixed deposits ₹90,000 crore. They dived into this reserve. They ordered close work ₹3 lakh crore to contractors. Where does this money come from? Everyone knows where the contractors come from and whose pockets they fill. Same goes for Dharavi (redevelopment).

There are concerns among your allies that your party may be a weak link. It may win fewer seats, which could affect MVA’s score.

I am not an astrologer. Actually, I don’t believe in astrology. I believe in hard work. People vote for who they trust. I trust people. Why are you worried about this?

You had previously insisted on choosing the MVA’s prime ministerial candidate in advance to avoid competition between allies. Now even the national leaders of the BJP say that it is not just the vote count but the overall political situation that needs to be taken into account when deciding on the chief ministership. Would you tell your allies to take a similar approach?

What’s going on in the BJP? Amit Shah (deputy CM Devendra) says Fadnavis will be the chief minister. Is it acceptable for Maharashtra? Is it acceptable for Mindhe (whom Thackeray calls Shinde) and Ajit Pawar? Are they actually forming the government? It’s okay for Ajit. He is the permanent deputy CM. We are three parties together. Our priority is to stop the looting of the state and remove anti-Maharashtra people from power.

Your party colleagues feel that you have been treated unfairly and that you should return as prime minister.

This is true. I was treated unfairly.

So you have some unfinished business to take care of and so you want to go back to the sixth floor of Mantralaya?

Unexpectedly, I became prime minister. Then Covid happened unexpectedly during my tenure. Everyone knows how I coped with Covid by treating the entire state like my family. Even while dealing with the pandemic, I waived farmer loans, started Shivbhojan Thali (food for the poor). ₹10), Memorandum of Understanding for new industries was signed. They overthrew my government with the help of traitors because they wanted to plunder Maharashtra. I want to stop this.

This appears to be a complex election with six parties, several smaller parties and many rebels competing. Even your brother’s party supports BJP. Could there be fragmentation in the mission?

Even though there are six sides in the conflict, the fight is clearly between those who love Maharashtra and those who are anti-Maharashtra or traitors of this state. I think people are clear about this. In my opinion, all those who support traitors are anti-Maharashtra people. Those who try to divide our votes are also anti-Maharashtra.

Do you see political forces realigning once again in case there is a hanging house?

I don’t see such a possibility. For me it is clear: You are either for Maharashtra or against Maharashtra. I stand with those who stand with Maharashtra. There will be no change in my stance.