Mumbai belongs to 'aapla baap': Uddhav

Sena executive president takes over the mantle as party supremo takes backseat

Finally, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray, 81, took the backseat setting the stage for his son and party executive president Uddhav to take over the mantle against Congress-NCP and MNS in the coming polls. At the annual Dassera rally at Shivaji Park on Thursday, Uddhav took centrestage adopting an aggressive posture, minus rhetoric, mimicry or political incorrectness, all hallmarks of his father. He stuck to politics of development by highlighting the farmers’ suicides, communal unrest and terror tales.

Uddhav, who has already emerged as a chief ministerial candidate of saffron combine, made a scathing attack against the Vilasrao Deshmukh government. “This government is more concerned about raising the FSI instead of tackling water scarcity. In rural areas, there is no electricity for 18 hours. Look at the atrocities inflicted against human beings through communal divide in Malegaon, Thane and Dhule. Is this the Maharashtra we take pride in as that of great Shivaji? It is high time we have to arrest the decay in Maharashtra.”

Pointing to Sainiks, he said, “I am confident of shouldering the responsibility with your support.” Thereby, signalling he is ready to lead now and in future.

Not surprisingly, the huge gathering at the rally heard the speech with studied silence. His speech was full of emotive appeal, “If anybody dares to question to whom Mumbai belongs, the answer every Mumbaikar will give is it belongs to “aapla baap”. Can you even ask a Bengali living in city Kolkata belongs to whom? Or a Uttar Pradeshi whom Lucknow belongs?”

Moments after stepping on the stage an overwhelmed and humbled Uddhav went down on his kneels and offered a salute (namaskar) to the saniks.

Uddhav was also very different from his father as he steered clear from making adverse comments against the minorities even while expressing concern over growing terror attacks and failure of union home minister Shivraj Patil and state home minister RR Patil. “I wonder whether Shivraj Patil is a home minister or a textile minister,” he said, referring to the incident where Shivraj changed clothes before visiting victims of bomb blasts in Delhi. 

In comparison, an ailing and tired Bal Thackeray through his 25 minutes message to sainiks did not miss the opportunity to make a vitriolic attack against the Muslims. However, for the first time the word l……ga was missing at the Dassera rally. However, Bal Thackeray asserted, “I have warned Uddhav against indulging in any negotiations with Muslims delegated (subscribing to terrorism) even if it cost us electoral fortunes. They have no place at Matoshree or Sena Bhavan.”