Devendra Fadnavis slams Uddhav Thackeray for neglecting 'Marathi Manoos' in Mumbai

Devendra Fadnavis pointed out that despite Shiv Sena's significant presence in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Uddhav Thackeray did not implement measures to benefit Marathi-speaking residents.

Devendra Fadnavis, Bharatiya Janata Party leader & Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister, in an exclusive interview with News18, criticised their former alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray, questioned his track record, discussed the split between BJP and Shiv Sena, addressed criticism regarding the BJP's supposed intent to amend the Indian Constitution, evaluated Maharashtra's progress under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, reflected on regional political dynamics, touched upon alliance complexities, and responded to accusations of the BJP's involvement with tainted politicians.

Fadnavis slamming their former alliance partner Uddhav Thackeray, chief of Shiv Sena (UBT), alleged that his administration had failed to address the needs of Marathi-speaking residents in Mumbai. The Maharashtra Deputy CM questioned Uddhav Thackeray's record on issues like mill lands, old chawls, and cessed buildings, suggesting that these shortcomings had prompted numerous Marathi-speaking individuals to move away from Mumbai to places like Vasai and Virar.

“Thackeray didn’t do anything for the ‘Marathi Manoos’ staying in Mumbai. What did they do regarding mill lands? Old chawls or cessed buildings? They have not taken a single decision that would benefit Marathi-speaking people and allow them to stay there. Most of the Marathi-speaking people staying in these areas have moved to small towns like Vasai, Virar. They were running the show in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). Why couldn’t they do it? Yes, we were in an alliance with them, in the BMC too. We never had positions like mayor or standing committee chairman in the BMC,” Devendra Fadnavis said criticizeing Uddhav Thackeray's lack of action for Marathi residents in Mumbai.

He also pointed out that despite Shiv Sena's significant presence in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), they did not implement measures to benefit Marathi-speaking residents. Fadnavis contrasted this with his own party's achievements, citing the construction of the coastal road and the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) as examples.

“Ninety-five per cent of residents in the BDD chawls are Marathi-speaking. People are getting 600-sqft houses compared to their earlier houses admeasuring 120 sqft. Why couldn’t Uddhav do this? He should show one iconic project he can claim. We built the coastal road and Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL),” said evendra Fadnavis questioning Uddhav Thackeray for lack of transformative projects for Marathi residents.

Fadnavis also blamed Uddhav for the split between the BJP and Shiv Sena, attributing it to Shiv Sena (UBT)'s ambition and alleged betrayal of the electoral mandate. He claimed that Uddhav's desire to elevate his son Aaditya Thackeray to the position of Chief Minister led to internal discord within the party.

“We didn’t break any party. The Shiv Sena split due to the arrogance and ambition of Uddhav Thackeray. Thackeray betrayed the mandate and went with the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA). During that time, he had said that he wants to make a Shiv Sena leader the CM. People thought that Eknath Shinde, who was doing all the ground work, would be made the CM, but later Thackeray became the CM. He realised that Shinde has the strength of MLAs. He wanted to make Aaditya the CM. It was the fear of Uddhav Thackeray that he didn’t want a repeat episode of Narayan Rane, who was a powerful leader in the Shiv Sena, especially when Thackeray got launched. Hence, he started clipping the wings of Shinde. Aaditya, despite being a junior minister, used to hold meetings of departments led by Eknath Shinde and never invited him. All these reasons led to the split in the party,” said Fadnavis.

Addressing criticism of the BJP's alleged intent to change the Indian Constitution, Fadnavis dismissed such claims, citing the Supreme Court's ruling in the Keshavananda Bharati case, which states that the basic framework of the Constitution cannot be altered. He said, “If you refer to the Keshwanand Bharati case order, the full bench of the Supreme Court has said that the basic framework of the Constitution can’t be changed. If the Modi government wanted to change anything, they could have done it easily, as they had the mandate since 2014. This narrative that the opposition is trying to set up won’t work.”

Fadnavis noted Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray's focus on Hindutva, and highlighted a shared ideological connection between Raj Thackeray and the BJP. Fadnavis also drew parallels between Raj Thackeray's approach and that of Balasaheb Thackeray, who initially advocated regionalism before embracing Hindutva.

“You can’t ignore the regional identity in politics. If someone talks about the same in politics, it is not wrong at all. Raj Thackeray has been speaking about Hindutva for the past five years. The common thread that connects Raj Thackeray and us is ‘Hindutva’. Earlier, Balasaheb Thackeray also used to speak about regionalism, and later he widened the scope and adopted the ideology of Hindutva. Raj is also walking on the same path,” said Fadnavis.

Regarding Maharashtra's development under the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government, Fadnavis claimed that the state had become the top destination for industries and investments since the BJP-led government assumed power. “For the past two years, we have been in the number one position. If we put together the investment that came in Gujarat, Karnataka and Delhi, we are still ahead of them. But that was not the case when Uddhav government was there in the state. From number one, we went down to number two and later number three,” said Fadnavis.

While talking about the alliance issue, Fadnavis stated that the alliance with Shinde-led Shiv Sena is an emotional issue, whereas the alliance with the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is a political issue. Fadnavis also admitted that they had to convince the BJP cadre and voters after the inclusion of Ajit Pawar and his faction into the Mahayuti. “In western Maharashtra, we had always contested elections against each other, but we convinced our cadre and voters that in such a scenario, where the opposition is trying to isolate PM Modi, we have to make these kind of political alliances,” said Fadnavis, adding, “Bargaining happened over the Thane seat until the last date as the BJP was keen to contest. But if you see the data, the BJP has won this seat five times and Sena seven times. The Sena argued that they are taking ahead the legacy of Anand Dighe, who got this seat for the Shiv Sena. Hence if this seat goes to the BJP, the local cadre of the Shiv Sena will get upset. They demanded that seat and we exchanged the seat with Palghar,” said Fadnavis.

Fadnavis also addressed accusations of the BJP acting as a "washing machine" for tainted politicians, asserting that no leaders had joined the party without being cleared of any wrongdoing by investigative agencies. Fadnavis said, “Ashok Chavan has joined our party after he got a clean chit from the court. No other leaders have joined our party. Investigative agencies, after their investigations, have not found anything against Ajit Pawar. Hence, his name is not there in any charge sheet. Although we are in alliance with the Shiv Sena and NCP, we have not made any deals with them to give clean chits. That is the work of the agencies. If they find anything against them, they will take action.”