Uddhav warns of taking ‘revenge’ for Shinde’s backstabbing

Mumbai: Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday warned that his party would take revenge on the backstabbing perpetrated by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and his group 11 months ago.

Speaking at the 55th anniversary celebrations of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS), Thackeray said that “everyone has their days but our days are not gone”.

“They have stabbed us in the back. I will certainly pay them back. Whatever ‘prasad’ we give them, they will remember it for the rest of their lives,” said Thackeray amid a thunderous round of applause, flanked by BKS General Secretary Raghunath Kuchik and other top union leaders.

Accusing Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of being ‘insensitive’ to the issues of labourers, Thackeray said that they are only bothered about the industrialists and not concerned for the workers or the farmers.

Hitting back at the ruling Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant who accused him of opposing mega-projects, Thackeray said that on the contrary, when he was the CM in the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the state secured investments worth Rs 2.5 lakh crore, and its industrial policies attracted 25 big industries here.

“However, this government has allowed many industries to go out to other states. Vedanta-Foxconn, Tata-Airbus, the Bulk Drugs Park. This regime had talked of an international footwear brand coming to India, but now I learn that it is going to Tamil Nadu,” said Thackeray.

Questioning the government’s claims that the projects are in the public interest, Thackeray said that if this is so, “then why are you forcing them on the people”, and cited the opposition to the Bullet Train, Aarey car shed, the Ratnagiri petrochemicals projects etc.

“If I had been in power, I would first take the consent of the locals before proceeding with these projects. They must first try to understand the problems of the agitating (Ratnagiri) villagers and why they are opposing the projects,” said Thackeray.

Thackeray said he had personally gone to meet those opposing the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Expressway, and after they were convinced, the government went ahead with the land acquisition in a transparent manner.

The former chief minister called upon his activists to learn from the farmers’ agitation (2020-2021) in Delhi against the three erstwhile draconian farm laws, and the government was compelled to withdraw them after the one-year fight by the tillers.

“International Labour Day is coming (May 1). Shiv Sena founder (Bal Thackeray) had added ‘Jai Kamgar’ to the slogan ‘Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan’ because you are also doing the work of nation-building,” said Thackeray.