'If BJP Can Shower Flowers On Pakistani Cricketers...': Uddhav Thackeray Meets Socialists
Thackeray slammed the BJP, saying it formed up with the Shiv Sena (undivided) after the assembly bypoll in 1987 shown that the election could be won by unifying Hindu votes.
Uddhav Thackeray, head of the Shiv Sena (UBT), stated on Sunday that the previous conflicts with socialists were mostly ideological and could be resolved for the sake of democracy, news agency PTI reported. In a speech to a conference of 21 socialist parivar groups, Thackeray remembered how, despite disagreements, his father, Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, and socialist leaders had joined for the common cause of Samyukta (unified) Maharashtra. The movement's aim was met in 1960, when Maharashtra was established as a Marathi-speaking state with Mumbai as its capital.
"We had ideological differences even though our objective was the same. Differences can be resolved when we sit and talk," Thackeray was quoted by PTI in its report.
He remembered how George Fernandes toppled Congress veteran SK Patil in the 1960s, saying the trade union leader inspired confidence among people that Patil, a Mumbai strongman with industrialist support, could be defeated.
"It can happen even now if we stand united for democracy. Cadres are very important and if we have a strong cadre, there is no need to fear," he added.
According to Thackeray, the Shiv Sena, which was created in 1966, and socialist organisations have a long history of disagreements, but they have worked together on topics such as Samyukta Maharashtra.
"Samajwadis also played an important role in the movement against Emergency. Despite differences, Acharya Atre, SA Dange and (Bal) Thackeray were on the same page during the movement for a united Maharashtra," he added.
Thackeray slammed the BJP, saying it formed up with the Shiv Sena (undivided) after the assembly bypoll in 1987 shown that the election could be won by unifying Hindu votes.
He claimed that the BJP seeks to expand by "destroying" others, and that it now does not want anyone. "Right now, I have nothing to offer you because I have nothing." "True friendship is when you join hands with someone who cannot offer you anything," the former Maharashtra chief minister added.
He accused the BJP of severing successful parties and partnerships.
"If the BJP can shower flowers on Pakistani cricketers at the Narendra Modi stadium, I can also talk to socialist parties. Many of them may be Muslims but they are nationalists who want to protect the country's democracy," he said.
Thackeray said that the Jan Sangh, the Janata Party's antecedent, was helpful in fracturing the Janata Party over the dual membership problem.
Following a vertical split in Shiv Sena (undivided) last year, the Shiv Sena (UBT), a part of the INDIA bloc, is attempting to reconstitute itself for the 2024 elections.
Following the split, Thackeray's group allied with Daslit leader Prakash Ambedkar's Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) and Maratha organisation Sambhaji Brigade as part of its social engineering strategy.
Notably, throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the Shiv Sena (undivided), which positioned itself as the guardian of Marathi manoos and subsequently Hindutva, collaborated with socialist parties on a number of topics.
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