Yavatmal, June 27 (IANS) In a fiercely aggressive address during his tour of Yavatmal, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a blistering attack on rebel MP Sanjay Deshmukh and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Giving an emotional but fiery speech to party workers, Thackeray publicly apologised to the electorate for fielding a “traitor” and urged citizens to hold the BJP accountable for orchestrating political defections.

Thackeray drew parallels between the ongoing monsoon and the political climate in Maharashtra. Thanking the farmers who left their agricultural work to attend the rally despite delayed rains, he said, “Just as the rains sprout new shoots and wash away decayed leaves, you—the loyal, die-hard Shiv Sainiks sitting before me—are my monsoon. The rotten leaves have fallen away, and fresh, loyal sprouts are emerging.”

Expressing deep regret over the defection of Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh, who recently shifted allegiance to the Eknath Shinde-led faction, Thackeray made a direct appeal to the public.

“I apologise to all of you, and to the voters of the Yavatmal-Washim constituency. Sometimes I make mistakes. You elected a scarecrow solely because I asked you to. When voting for him, you applied black ink to your fingers, but by defecting, he has blackened the face of your trust. You have every right to demand answers from him,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray targeted local MP Sanjay Deshmukh—one of the six MPs who recently defected to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction under ‘Operation Tiger’—accusing him of disrespecting the public mandate. During his address, Thackeray shared a striking, behind-the-scenes anecdote revealing how the defection unfolded under the guise of family commitments.

Escalating his attack on the rebel factions, Thackeray took a swipe at the alleged financial inducements involved in political defections.

“The ‘King of Traitors’ (referring to Eknath Shinde) broke away 40 MLAs. Back then, the going rate for an MLA was ’50 Khokas’ (Rs 50 crore). Now, what must be the price of an MP? Politics has turned into a business—get elected, and then increase your market value,” he roared.

Turning his ire toward Deshmukh, Thackeray added, “If a man betrays his own people after swearing an oath by his mother, I wonder how his mother feels about it.”

Thackeray did not spare the ruling BJP, questioning their integrity regarding Hindutva and the construction of the Ram Temple. He claimed that the betrayal was not just against the Shiv Sena, but against Hindus and the core principles of Hindutva.

“We are beginning to worry if the Bharatiya Janata Party is turning into the ‘Pakistan Janata Party.’ Money from the donation boxes of the Ram Temple and silver bricks have been stolen. What happened to the funds collected during the Shila Pujan? By raising slogans like ‘Ram Mandir Wahin Banayenge’, the BJP has merely played with the emotions of Hindus,” Thackeray charged.

Responding to claims by rebel leaders that they switched sides to secure development funds for their constituencies, Thackeray invoked veteran political icons to dismiss the argument. He pointed out that revered spiritual and social figures like Sant Tukdoji Maharaj and Gadge Baba never held legislative posts or needed government development funds to serve the public. “People bow to Gadge Baba, not to these traitors or the Chief Minister,” he said.

Thackeray questioned if former Prime Minister late Atal Bihari Vajpayee or veteran leader L.K. Advani ever contemplated switching over to the Congress when they faced a shortage of development funds while in the Opposition.

“If Atal ji and Advani ji had defected to the Congress over development funds, would Narendra Modi or Amit Shah have ever been politically born?” he asked.

Concluding his address, Thackeray asserted that while the ruling alliance holds immense financial power, the true wealth of his faction lies in its people. He urged the public to keep their anger alive until the upcoming state Assembly elections to give a fitting reply to the current dispensation.

–IANS

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