Uddhav Thackeray Slams PM Modi Over Rebel MPs Meeting
Referring to the crackdown on recent youth and student-led demonstrations, Mr. Thackeray said the protests received international attention but the BJP government was non responsive.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) Chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, questioning his priorities following the Prime Minister’s recent meeting with his party’s rebel MPs, who recently joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. The Prime Minister reportedly assured the rebel MPs that they need not worry as he was with them. Mr. Thackeray said the Prime Minister’s reassuring words should instead have been directed at the protesting youth, who, he alleged, faced police lathi charges and other atrocities.
Criticising the Prime Minister’s interaction with the rebel MPs, Mr Thackeray condemned the support extended to them amidst the ongoing political situation. He stated:
“The Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister Amit Shah do not have time to meet the youth. But the Prime Minister has time to meet those traitors who stole the Shiv Sena and established the ‘Shah Sena’. Prime Minister Modi not only met these MPs but also promised the traitors, “Do not fear, I am behind you”.”
Referring to the crackdown on recent youth and student-led demonstrations, Mr. Thackeray said the protests received international attention but the BJP government was non responsive. “For the past two months, there has been discussion worldwide about how India’s Gen-Z generation brought the government to its knees. I feel pained that instead of supporting this generation, brutal atrocities were committed against them. On this occasion, some were even reminded of the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. After harassing the students, Prime Minister Modi is not ready to talk to them. The Home Minister does not even have the courage to speak. Today, the entire country is demanding answers from the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. This will not stop with the resignation of a single minister. Now the entire system, that is the government, will have to be changed,” he said.
Mr. Thackeray also questioned the intention behind PM Modi’s assurance to the rebel MPs, asking whether the “threat-like message” was intended for the Supreme Court, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, or Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, noting that Amit Shah was also present in Mumbai during the MPs’ meeting in Delhi.
“PM Modi’s assurances to the rebel MPs have been widely published in newspapers nationwide. These media reports would be presented before the Supreme Court. But the legal and political conflict is no longer limited to the Shiv Sena alone. Has Mr Modi given a broader message to future defectors across the country that they would remain protected if they aligned with the ruling party?” the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief said.