Where was Hindutva when Bhagwat went to masjid and BJP joined hands with Mehbooba Mufti?: Uddhav Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena leader and former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Monday trained guns at the RSS and BJP for questioning his Hindutva when he formed government with the Congress and NCP. He also challenged the Shinde faction to conduct BMC elections.

Hitting out at the saffron outfits, Thackeray said, "Mohan Bhagwat went to masjid, did he leave Hindutva? When BJP formed an alliance with PDP, did they leave Hindutva? Whatever they do is right and when we do something, we leave Hindutva, that's not right."

Talking about the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the Shiv Sena leader challenged the Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde-led government to declare and conduct the elections as soon as possible.

"There has been no announcement of elections till now. I want to challenge traitors (Shinde faction) to conduct elections…If they (Shiv-Sena Shinde faction & BJP) have guts then they should declare elections," he added.

It should be noted that Uddhav Thackray's Shiv Sena (UBT) and Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) entered into a brand-new 'Shiv Shakti-Bhim Shakti' alliance today, coinciding with the 97th birth anniversary of the late Balasaheb Thackeray.

Uddhav, former Chief Minister and son of Balasaheb Thackeray, and Prakash Ambedkar, the grandson of the chief architect of Indian Constitution Dr BR Ambedkar, jointly made the formal announcement of the new political tie-up intended to electrify the state political scenario.

Uddhav Thackray claimed that the new partnership has been discussed with the Maha Vikas Aghadi allies comprising Congress-Nationalist Congress Party-Sena (UBT), while Ambedkar expressed the hope that the MVA would soon accept the VBA.

Uddhav Thackray and Prakash Ambedkar said that the new force would prove beneficial in dethroning the Bharatiya Janata Party and would work in tandem with other political parties.