Mumbai, Jan 9 (IANS) Amid the ongoing campaigning for the upcoming high-stakes Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, Shiv Sena-UBT Chief Uddhav Thackeray has launched a fierce political attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), predicting a grim future for the Eknath Shinde-led Sena faction and accusing the BJP of eroding Maharashtra’s political culture.

In an exclusive interview to a regional channel on Thursday, Thackeray dismissed the BJP’s claims of being a “pro-Hindutva party”, labeling them “power-hungry” instead.

He drew parallels to the history of the Jan Sangh, claiming they joined the United Maharashtra movement late and were the first to exit once their interests were served.

“BJP is not a Hindutva party; it is a party obsessed with power. Their DNA is rooted in opportunism; they merely pretend to be saints. They are willing to ally with anyone—even goons—just to stay in power,” he claimed.

He compared the BJP’s expansion to a “single-celled amoeba” that seeks to consume everything in its path.

Thackeray termed the BJP’s alliance with AIMIM in Akot Municipal Council as “BJP’s Love Jihad”.

He also alleged, “BJP Ministers consume beef yet try to lecture us on Hindutva. In the Municipal Corporation, the issue isn’t Hindu-Muslim; it’s about governance.”

Expressing concern over the current state of politics, Thackeray remarked that the upcoming BMC elections are being fought in a “strange” atmosphere.

“We expect the elections to be conducted fairly. There was a time when a thief would run away if called out. Today, thieves proudly proclaim their identity. Maharashtra has never seen such a situation. While the state’s politics was once characterised by civility, it has now been completely defaced,” Thackeray said.

The former Chief Minister took a firm stand on the identity of Mumbai, specifically addressing recent controversial remarks regarding linguistic demographics in the suburbs.

“We are clear—Mumbai’s Mayor will be a Marathi person,” he asserted.

He asked why the BJP was attempting to impose Hindi and other languages on the city.

He asked, “Should we just sit back and listen when their (BJP) leaders claim that the language of Ghatkopar is Gujarati? Who are they to decide that?”

Thackeray accused the current Maharashtra administration of saddling Mumbai with a debt of Rs 3 lakh crore and “looting” the city’s resources.

He highlighted the grievances of the local Marathi population.

“In the last two to three years, bullying of Marathi people has started in Mumbai. Show me one other state in this country where Marathi people act like bullies. Here, they are being denied housing and criticised for their food habits. The Marathi man integrates wherever he goes, but now, people are entering our home and trying to dominate us. Their (BJP’s) arrogance has grown because their ‘bosses’ are sitting in Delhi,” he remarked.

–IANS

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