Mumbai, Oct 27 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday once again raised the issue of vote theft and slammed the ruling BJP by stating voters elect governments in democracy but today the government chooses voters.
Addressing party workers here, Thackeray said a case should be registered against the Election Commissioner for “corrupt practice” of bogus voters.
In a searing attack on Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Thackeray dubbed the BJP leader an anaconda who wants to swallow Mumbai.
Shah was in Mumbai on Monday and participated in the ground breaking ceremony of the new BJP office near Churchgate station.
Thackeray said while the BJP is building its party office, it could not build Marathi Bhasha Bhavan and gallery of Marathi theatre approved by the previous MVA government that he headed.
Hitting back, BJP minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said Thackeray is depressed due to his drubbing in the state assembly polls.
“Uddhav ji should see himself in the mirror because he is a python who lays idle and hisses at the hard work done by others,” Bawankule said.
Bawankule said Thackeray is well aware that the Shiv Sena (UBT) party will be defeated in the local body polls due to which he is resorting to such language.
Continuing his attack on the ruling party, Thackeray said the BJP gave the call of Atmanirbhar Bharat but it still cannot become Atmanirbhar BJP because it resorts to breaking parties and “stealing” votes.
The BJP is a “bogus gang of self-proclaimed patriots and petty thieves”, which will create divisions between Hindus and Muslims to win polls.
Asserting that his doubts on EVMs persist, Thackeray said after winning the Lok Sabha polls and forming the government at the Centre, the Election Commissioners will be booked and will have to face trial.
During the ground breaking event, Shah had asked BJP workers to ensure that the Opposition is wiped out during the ensuing local body polls in a manner that they are “not seen even with the help of binoculars.” “We have proved that the politics of family-run parties will no longer work in this country. It is the politics of performance that will lead the nation forward,” Shah said.
Hitting back, Thackeray said, “I want to tell that Abdali that we are the ones who believe in the legacy of our parents.” He was referring to Afghan general Ahmad Shah Abdali who had invaded India and defeated the Marathas in the Third Battle of Panipat. Thackeray had referred to Shah as Abdali even during the Lok Sabha polls.
Thackeray also dubbed Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis as a terrorist who takes ‘supari’ and resorts to destruction in the name of development.
“I heard that our chief minister (Devendra Fadnavis) said those who oppose development are urban Naxals. They take supari from someone to oppose (development). I am saying this to him (Fadnavis) that you are a terrorist who takes supari and resorts to destruction in the name of development,” Thackeray said.
Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray also made a presentation at the party meet where he alleged discrepancies in the voters list in his Worli assembly constituency, including mismatch in names, photographs, addresses and even the gender.
“This is not an error but fraud,” the Worli MLA said.
The undivided Shiv Sena controlled the cash-rich Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for 25 consecutive years from 1997 to 2022. However, the Sena (UBT) under Uddhav Thackeray is facing a tough battle to retain the metropolis’ civic body after a drubbing in the assembly polls last year.
Uddhav Thackeray urged his party workers to scan the voters list.
He also dared the poll body to hold civic polls before cleaning the voters list.
Thackeray said a polling agent should be someone who can identify voters by name and face.
While asking party workers to slap bogus voters, the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said, “If the EC is not going to pay heed, then it is our right to not allow bogus voters to cast voters.” Hitting out at leaders of rival Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, Thackeray said those raised by the party were attacking their own mother.
(This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)