Fadnavis Dismisses Thackeray Cousins’ Alliance As Politically Inconsequential

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday sought to play down the alliance between the parties led by Uddhav Thackeray and his cousin Raj, saying it would not make any significant political impact and was driven purely by their need for political survival.

Ending months of speculation, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray formally announced an alliance on Wednesday ahead of the January 15 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections.

Speaking to reporters after the announcement, Fadnavis said, "Their track record is of corruption and self-interest. Their alliance is for their own political survival and it will not make any significant political difference. It is childish if anyone thinks otherwise. People will not get swayed."

He added, "Mumbai will stand firm with our government. People will see Mahayuti government's performance, its vision for the future and for ensuring that Marathi people get homes in the city."

The Chief Minister also dismissed the buzz around the joint press conference of the Thackeray cousins, calling it overhyped. "The television news channels were reporting as if it was the Russia-Ukaine alliance,'' he said.

"Thackerays are not the lone representatives of Marathi people and Mumbai," Fadnavis said, blaming their ego for alienating the city’s residents.

Launching a sharper attack, he said, ''Uddhav Thackeray will have to give a reply on 25 years of the civic misrule. Old sins cannot be washed away. I am a born Hindutvawadi and will die like that. I am not the one to wear saffron robes and change political stands for votes."

Fadnavis further asserted, "People of Mumbai and Maharashtra are Hindutvawadi, and those who indulge in appeasement and deviate from Hindutva ideology have seen the result in the assembly elections. Our Hindutva is not narrow-minded. It is the Indian way of life."

The undivided Shiv Sena ruled the BMC for over two decades.

Meanwhile, BJP leader and Maharashtra minister Ashish Shelar said "Marathi voters" were questioning why Uddhav and Raj Thackeray had split in the first place.

"No Marathi person had demanded the formation of a separate party (when Raj Thackeray quit the Shiv Sena)," he said.

Shelar recalled Raj Thackeray’s remarks at the time of forming the MNS, when he alleged that Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray had been surrounded by a "coterie" that created a rift between the uncle and nephew.

"Today, Marathi people are asking Raj Thackeray to name those people who allegedly created this distance with Balasaheb," he said, adding that Raj had once described them as a group of clerks and questioning who these ‘clerks’ were.

"And why is Raj Thackeray now shaking hands with and embracing the same people?" Shelar asked.

He also recalled that Raj Thackeray had publicly screened videos criticising BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, accusing them of failing to keep their promises.

"We have preserved many such video clips of Raj Thackeray's speeches attacking the Shiv Sena leadership after he quit the party," Shelar warned.

The renewed bonhomie between Uddhav and Raj Thackeray was rooted in political insecurity, Shelar claimed. "When the BJP challenged the Thackerays' monopoly over Mumbai, both Uddhav and Raj felt threatened. For their own political survival, they have now come together," he said.