'If BJP Can Shower Flowers on Pak Players': Uddhav on Meet With Socialist Parties; Shinde Says ‘Sin'

After the BJP and Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena slammed Uddhav Thackeray for defeating his party’s ideology by joining hands with socialist parties, the former Maharashtra CM in his defence said “If BJP can shower flowers on Pakistani cricketers, there’s nothing wrong in holding talks with socialist parties.”

“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,” Thackeray said.

Thackeray was addressing a gathering of 21 socialist parivar parties and recalled that despite differences, his father and Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and socialist leaders had come together for the common cause of Samyukta (united) Maharashtra.

Clarifying his stance, Thackeray said that the old differences with socialists were mainly ideological and can now be settled for the cause of democracy.

At this moment, I have nothing to offer you because I possess nothing. When you join hands with someone who cannot offer you anything, it is true friendship,” the former Maharashtra chief minister told the party leaders.

This is not the first time Sena, founded by Bal Thackeray in 1966, allied with socialist parties for elections. Sena has allied with secular forces around 22 times.

Once it also allied with George Fernandes’s party. When Sena contested the first election of the BMC in 1968, it allied with the Praja Samajwadi Party.

Uddhav Thackeray also recalled how George Fernandes managed to defeat Congress stalwart SK Patil in the 1960s, saying the trade union leader instilled confidence among people that Patil, a Mumbai strongman who had the backing of industrialists, could be defeated.

In a veiled attack on the BJP, which had been one of Sena’s longest allies before they split in 2019, Thackeray said that the saffron party wants to grow by “destroying” others, and currently, it doesn’t want anyone.

Uddhav Committed A Sin: Shinde on Sena’s Friendship with Socialist Groups

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Sunday alleged Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray has committed a “sin” of pandering to socialists who had insulted and opposed party founder Bal Thackeray in his lifetime. Talking to reporters in neighbouring Thane, Shinde charged that the move to join hands with socialist leaders amounted to “adulterating” the Hindutva ideology.

“Even Balasaheb Thackeray will not forgive such an act of joining hands with Congress and socialists. Uddhav Thackeray has sinned by joining hands with socialists who insulted and opposed Balasaheb Thackeray in his lifetime,” said Shinde.

(With PTI inputs)