Sanjay Raut, an MP from Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction, sought to assert the influence of the Thackeray family in Maharashtra’s, particularly in Mumbai’s politics, and said that they can never be wiped out.
“The Thackerays can never be wiped out. We can still shut down Mumbai in 10 minutes,” he told NDTV.
Raut’s remarks come ahead of the much-anticipated Maharashtra’s civic body polls slated for January 15, which also includes the election to Mumbai’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. This is also just months after the Thackeray cousins, Uddhav and Raj, reunited after a gap of two decades.
Ahead of the high-stakes poll for BMC, India’s richest civic body, both the cousins have come together to campaign on the plank of Marathi asmita or pride.
“Uddhav Thackeray and Raj Thackeray are brothers. Their mothers are sisters. This was a family matter. I am a friend to both sides. If I had any role in their reunion, then I feel fortunate,” NDTV quoted Raut as saying.
Raut added that even though the ideologies of both the cousins might differ, they have come together to prioritise the nation.
“The Thackeray brothers are a brand. If Thackerays survive, Marathi manoos (person or identity)will survive,” Raut said.
“Raj and Uddhav are not different. We are one. The mayor will be ours,” he added.
Maharashtra CM’s ’empty threat’ rebuttal
Responding to Raut’s “Thackerays can still shut down Mumbai in 10 minutes” claim, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis dismissed it as “empty threats”.
He added that it could have been possible if Bal Thackeray was still alive, but not anymore. “They said they won’t let Eknath Shinde enter Mumbai. But he came with 50 MLAs and went to Raj Bhavan and formed the government. When Bal Thackeray was alive, it (a shutdown) could happen. But these guys can’t do it anymore,” Fadnavis told NDTV.
‘A battle for survival’
For Shiv Sena’s Uddhav Thackeray faction, the upcoming BMC polls are a battle of survival, said Uddhav Thackeray.
“It’s a battle for survival…not just for us but for the Marathi people in Mumbai,” he told the Hindustan Times.
When asked if the Thackeray cousins are fighting a battle for political survival, Uddhav said, “What are they (opponents) fighting for then? If the BJP fails to win, won’t its existence in Mumbai come under threat? The ‘Esanshi’ (abbreviation of Eknath Sambhaji Shinde) group or (Amit) Shah’s Sena, as I call them, too would be wiped out. We saw what happened in Ambernath a couple of days ago (when the local BJP unit tied up with the Congress to defeat Shiv Sena candidates, a move that was eventually scotched). Every election is a battle for survival. This is a battle for survival, not just us but for the Marathi character of Mumbai.”