Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday raised sharp questions over the Bharatiya Janata Party’s commitment to Hindutva, alleging that the party’s ideological stand had weakened to the extent that it could even accommodate figures symbolically opposed to its stated beliefs. He claimed that the BJP now appeared driven more by political convenience than principles.
Addressing a joint public rally in Nashik alongside his cousin and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray, Uddhav Thackeray launched a direct attack on the ruling party as campaigning intensified for the January 15 civic elections. He asked whether the BJP’s version of Hindutva was genuine or merely projected during election seasons to mobilise voters.
The Shiv Sena UBT leader also criticised the Nashik Municipal Corporation’s proposal to cut trees for the construction of a sadhugram ahead of the Kumbh Mela scheduled for next year. He questioned the rationale behind sacrificing green cover in the name of development and religious events, suggesting that environmental concerns were being ignored.
Uddhav Thackeray further said he felt sympathy for long time BJP workers who were being sidelined as the party inducted leaders with controversial backgrounds. According to him, loyal party members were being overlooked while preference was being given to what he described as tainted entrants, reflecting a shift in the BJP’s internal priorities.
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