BJP's alleged communal polarisation, demonetisation, GST and Maharashtra getting second class treatment – Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray talks about these issues and in an interview with the people of Maharashtra asks what the state has gained from 10 years of BJP's majority? rule at the centre.
Maharashtra lost a lot as industries and projects like International Finance Centre, Vedanta Foxconn, Bulk Drugs Park and Medical Device Park were pushed to Gujarat. Even the World Cup final was moved to Ahmedabad when we were expecting it to be held in Mumbai (he joked).
Farmers are unhappy, industry is not doing well, investment is being pushed away, unemployment and inflation are rising. The candidates running in this election are those who will support Maharashtra and oppose the BJP's dishonest politics, caste and religious invocations, and party dissolution.
BJP leaders say they talk about development while Bharat Bloc wants to protect their dynasties and private caste parties.
We are proud of our family - we can at least show what previous generations have done for people. You cannot say the same about BJP. Besides, they do not have a dynasty? In fact, most dynasties are with the BJP; Also the most corrupt. Those facing corruption charges from BJP agencies - not the country's - like ED and IT are now with the party.
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Now, when everyone wants to know what they've done in 10 years, they're talking about mutton, mana, flies and what people have to wear. When the BJP is on the brink of defeat, it turns to the Hindu-Muslim issue.
They also allege that India, especially the Congress, is pursuing an agenda of appeasing Muslims. Your response?
It is shameful that a party that has ruled the country for 10 years has to resort to lying about the Congress manifesto. In fact, for the first time in a decade, the Congress is creating the narrative that the BJP is following. They kept blaming Nehru and Indira Gandhi.
What is the benefit of their rule? Why don't they talk about demonetisation and the failed GST; About 100 smart cities? Farmers were denied the promised loan waiver, but industrialists had their loans waived. Unemployment is another problem. But none of this fits the BJP's agenda.
Based on the work we have done for the city over the past 20 years, we ran the "Karun Dakhwale" (We did it) campaign in the 2012 civic elections. I dare the BJP to devise a comparable solution. Regretfully, Joomla is being rebranded as Guaranteed today.
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We are treated as second class citizens in the state under BJP. In the last decade, the IFC, which the UPA government had planned for Mumbai, shifted to Gujarat's Gift City. Vedanta and several other projects were moved there. BJP is totally biased towards Gujarat and unfair towards Maharashtra. Why do they want a bullet train from Mumbai to Ahmedabad? Why not between Mumbai and Delhi or Nagpur or Bangalore?
BJP wants to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra and merge it with Gujarat. As they fail to do this, they are eroding Mumbai's economic power – that's what Mumbaikars feel. It's not about Marathi vs Gujarati. I have moths against Gujarat, but why are you taking away from us to give Gujarat? People of different castes and religions come to Mumbai for employment. When projects like Vedanta or Foxconn shift, people lose their job dreams.
Recently, Union Minister Narayan Rane declared that the Shiv Sena (UBT) will vanish following the elections. Your thoughts?
I do not respond to him - he is hired to speak against us.
Uddhav Thackeray, your father, recently talked about previous conversations he had with Devendra Fadnavis regarding your potential role as chief minister.
It is very common. Run a poll on Uddhav Thackeray's credibility against every BJP leader. You will get the answer. My father quit BJP because their promises were not fulfilled in 2019. We contested Lok Sabha with BJP in 2014 as we have been partners with them for almost 30 years. In October 2014, the BJP broke the alliance saying they would get a majority and form the government without us. In 2019, senior BJP leaders came to Matoshree, asked for an alliance and everything was settled. The coalition broke up in October due to a lack of talks. The party never sticks to its word.
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Look at Mr. Fadnavis's politics within the BJP as well – the top five names in the BJP joined the party in 2019 or later. All had corruption cases piled up against them, until they spoke to top BJP leaders. Seasoned leaders like Eknath Khase, Vinod Tawde, Pankaja Mund have been placed alongside. Egocentric politics of one man is destroying state BJP.
Do you see yourself as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra?
I never dreamed of it. I was very happy to serve as a minister in the MVA government. It is important to me to have young voices in the legislature. I want to serve the people but also clean the politics of the state. We will compete. Let the people decide who can do what.
Your alliance partners were unhappy with the seat sharing. Are they working together now?
All problems are settled. Partners bargain for seats when they think they can win. On the other hand, the alliance of BJP, ED, CBI, Shinde Sena and NCP could not decide candidates for several constituencies till yesterday. Finally, they announced the names of the people against whom the BJP had alleged corruption.
So what are you giving to Maharashtra? Corrupt people? The relationship between Fadnavis and Matoshree remained cordial till 2019. He seemed keen to keep the Sena on board instead of the NCP. What was wrong?
Dirty politics and broken promises. He admitted to break the two parties to return to power. Is the hunger for power so intense that you need to break up the family of an 80-plus person, or the group of a person who has had two major surgeries?