Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray attacks BJP over Women Safety

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray in an interview with Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut castigated the Bharatiya Janta Party over the issue of women safety in the country. He also alleged that the BJP President Amit Shah is trying to break the Hindutva coalition in Maharashtra, although he refrained from naming him.

Shiv Sena mouthpiece "Samna", started by the late Bal Thackeray, carries Uddhav's interview where he has stated that India has become an unsafe place for women, while cows are being protected. The Sena leader also cleared his stand on cow slaughter saying that he is in no way advocating it. Uddhav is positive towards protection of "Gomata" but does not support vigilantism.

Replying to a query by Raut on the "divide and rule policy" being adopted to break the Hindutva alliance and resultantly harm the Shiv Sena' s image, Uddhav pleaded the Hindus to see through such divisive politics. The Sena's larger Hindutva alliance cuts across regional and linguistic lines and includes non-Marathi speakers like Gujaratis, north Indians, and Jains.

Uddhav Thackeray recalled on how the late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, Shiv Sainiks, and Maharashtrians had shielded the Gujaratis and north Indians during the Mumbai riots in the 90's.

Speaking on the issue of the "no-confidence motion", Uddhav said that Shiv Sena does not want to oppose anyone just for the sake of opposing and hence decided to remain neutral. Uddhav also stated that he will not allow anyone to fire from Shiv Sena's shoulders.

Uddhav alleged that parties like Chandrababu Naidu's Telugu Desam Party are reiterating what Sena initiated. He also stated that it was Shiv Sena which had at first taken a firm stand on issues like GST, Land acquisition law, demonetization etc when others had chosen to remain spectators.

“The Shiv Sena is working to reign the government in. We have ministerial berths as the Shiv Sena and BJP were in an alliance in the previous Lok Sabha elections.... this was because like the people of the country, we felt that someone would change the way things were working in the country,” the Sena president said.