Shiv Sena President and Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday exhorted the party workers to work with a resolve to consolidate party’s presence not just in Maharashtra but at the national level and ultimately to assume power in Delhi to materialize party supreme Balasaheb Thackeray’s dream.
‘’Party workers should show the same resolve and fighting spirit in all elections as they should not be restricted merely to Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Notwithstanding victories or defeats, the Shiv Sainiks should pay equal attention in contesting all elections including banks, local and civic bodies in the state. Besides, the party, which is fielding its candidates in Goa and Uttar Pradesh, will also fight polls in other states in future too. One day Shiv Sena will be victorious in other states too and assume power in Delhi,’’ he said in his virtual address to the party workers on the occasion of Shiv Sena supremo’s birth anniversary.
He also lashed out at BJP for its ‘’use and throw’’ policy and said there is no NDA which is present at the national level. ‘’Shiv Sena has not left Hindutva. Leaving BJP does not mean leaving Hindutva. BJP’s Hindutva is neo Hindutva which is practiced to assume power,’’ he noted.
Thackeray, who is recovering from his spine injury, expressed displeasure over the Shiv Sainiks’ not taking elections to the banks and local and civic body elections seriously as it was done by allies NCP and Congress. He thereby asked the party workers to emulate NCP and Congress in contesting these elections and thereby spread the party's wings across the state.
‘’It is true that Shiv Sena ranked fourth in the recently concluded Nagar Panchayat elections but has won a record number of seats in these years. However, party workers including me did not pay sufficient attention in contesting these polls as it was fought by other parties (including NCP and Congress). Barring a few Shiv Sena leaders, no one took the elections seriously while senior leaders from NCP and Congress were at the forefront. Henceforth, all elections should be fought with full determination and preparations to win,’’ he noted.
Thackeray said those who want to indulge in treachery should leave the party and others should contest all elections not with overconfidence and carelessness. He pulled up the party workers for not doing enough in building up institutions in the politically influential cooperative sector like NCP and Congress. ‘’Such institutions should be built not bypassing the rules but it should be established with a long term objective,’’ he opined.
Thackeray announced he will soon conduct state wide tours while retorting estranged ally BJP’s repeated criticism of working from home. He slammed BJP for not keeping its pre-poll promise of equal sharing of power in Maharashtra and said therefore the party severed its links and joined hands with new allies NCP and Congress to form power.
Thackeray also replied to the union home minister Amit Shah’s challenge of Shiv Sena going solo in the state elections saying that the party is fully prepared for the same.
