Mumbai, June 11 (IANS) The Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) on Thursday said the BJP-led government under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s 12-year tenure does not align with the governance legacy stretching from Nehru to Manmohan Singh, and highlights a stark contrast between the foundational philosophies of India’s leadership.

The Thackeray camp, in an editorial in the party’s mouthpiece, ‘Saamana’, said that under Pandit Nehru’s leadership, institutions like AIIMS, IITs, and IIMs were established. His tenure focused on nation-building, international respect, and fostering a society free from communal and religious hatred. “Conversely, the past 12 years have seen the weaponisation of central agencies like the Enforcement Directorate (ED), CBI, Income Tax Department, and the police force. This has allegedly dismantled constitutional structures, transforming autonomous entities like the Election Commission and top judicial figures into subordinates functioning out of the ruling party’s headquarters,” claimed the editorial.

Presenting a severe critique of the current socio-economic landscape, the Thackeray camp claimed the Indian economy has collapsed, the rupee has severely depreciated, and the import-export balance is disrupted alongside depleting foreign exchange reserves. “National interests have been sidelined to favour a handful of corporate industrialists. It further remarked that unemployment figures have drastically surged, and instances of atrocities and sexual violence against women continue to rise. Furthermore, mass economic distress is highlighted by the 80 crore citizens relying on free grain rations and ongoing farmer suicides,” it said.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena condemned the current political ecosystem for erasing or exploiting historical sacrifices.

It pointed out that while historic defence actions like ‘Operation Blue Star’ — which claimed the lives of General Arun Kumar Vaidya and hundreds of soldiers — “are actively disparaged by current ministers”, recent national tragedies like the Pulwama massacre of 40 jawans and the killing of 26 Hindus in Pahalgam have been reduced to “electoral talking points”. Similarly, the sacrifices of 562 soldiers during the Kargil War under the Vajpayee administration risk being “obscured by contemporary political narratives”.

The Thackeray camp stated that while the British plundered the nation, the “systematic exploitation under the current 12-year regime is far worse”.

The party has demanded an “impartial audit” of what has truly been achieved during this tenure regarding India’s global and domestic reputation.

–IANS

sj/dpb