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Maharashtra Assembly polls: Post break-up, Uddhav Thackeray places full blame on BJP

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Two days after the break-up of its 25-year-old alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched a scathing attack on its former ally, addressing his first rally at the Mahalakshmi Race course in Mumbai.  

Speaking at the campaign rally, Sena chief Uddhav Thackery said, "Shiv Sena was not willing to break the alliance with the BJP, but there was no option but to do so. If Maharashtra feels that the alliance broke because of me, then I am sorry for that. But I genuinely tried to save it. I was ready to sacrifice 18 seats from Shiv Sena's quota, but how can I give them 35 seats?" He further added, "I am ready to give all seats to the BJP. But first they should get back our land that has been occupied by China, by Pakistan and Karnataka. Get houses for the Kashmiri Pandits who lost their roofs." 

Mentioning that the Shiv Sena was for the son-of-the-soil, for Hindutva, he said, "BJP has not only broken the 25-year-old alliance, but also the Hindutva relations."

However, stating that he had no personal fight with Narendra Modi, he said, "During the Lok Sabha elections, the Sena gave its support to Narendra Modi and we won 42 out of 48 seats. For the  assembly polls we reduced our seats 169 to 151. However, the BJP is saying that we broke the alliance for the post of chief minister. But when they were asking for more seats, what purpose was that for? To play marbles?" 

Remembering leaders who had played a crucial role to build the alliance over the years, Thackeray said, "The Sena-BJP break-up is not giving me happiness. Even today, I am reminded of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde." Making it clear that the Sena would not contest against the late BJP leader's daughter, Pankaja Munde, he stated, "The Sena will contest all seats except one. I am a person who maintain relations. Since the beginning we have had good relations with both the Mahajan and Munde families and therefore, Sena will not contest against Pankaja and Pritam (daughters of Gopinath Munde). Pankaja is like a sister and that's why I have also asked her to keep the politics aside and call us whenever she is in need."

Launching an attack on former Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who had questioned his experience, Thackeray said, "Chavan says, I don't have experience, but what experience does he have? If he has experience, then why were the files not moving? Like him, I don't have the experience of corruption." 

Talking about the development of Mumbai city and Maharashtra, Thackeray promised to change the face of the racecourse (where the rally was held today). "I will build such a big park that people from across the world will come to see it." 

Mentioning that the Modi wave is now fading, he said, "I never said there was no Modi wave, but it faded and now the situation is different. If there was a Modi wave, then why did the BJP fail to do well in the by-polls? Why did the SP perform better in UP? Why did Congress win seats in Rajasthan and Gujarat? Why did Nitish-Lalu do well in Bihar?" he asked. 

Thackeray also requested former alliance partner and RPI leader Ramdas Athawale to join hands with the Sena. Offering him the post of Deputy Chief Minister he said, "I am requesting you to come together. Let us create the Maharashtra of Balasaheb and Babasaheb." 

Asking support for his party for the assembly polls, he said, "I don't want to criticise the BJP, Congress or NCP. I have the faith and on the basis of that, Sena will come to power."

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