Days after Chief Minister Mr Eknath Shinde’s meeting with Vanchit Bahujan Mahasangh founder Mr Prakash Ambedkar, the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray shared the dais with the latter and hinted at a possible alliance between the two joining hands a key issue of preservation of freedom and removing the greedy from power. He indicated the possibility of Shiv Shakti and Bhim Shakti coming together in Maharashtra to take on the BJP.
‘’Today we have come together on one platform for the first time. Our ideological platform is the same for both of us. So we have no problem coming together on one platform. It will not come as expected by the people. We have come forward with the legacy of both ideas", Mr Thackeray said while leading a blistering attack against the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi without naming them.
Mr Thackeray and Mr Ambedkar were present at the launch of Prabodhankar.com edited by a journalist Mr Sachin Parab. It was a coming together of grandsons of social reformist Prabodhankar Thackeray and Constitutional maker Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar. Mr Thackeray recalled that Prabodhankar Thackeray and Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar came together in the past to voice against the divide in society. ‘’It is time for us to come together to preserve freedom and pull down power hungry,’’ he noted.
‘’We are ready to go with those who will try to preserve freedom. State and Center have equal powers. The same policy of divide and rule is being followed by the British.
However, power is being captured because of the desire that I want everything (without naming BJP and PM). Those who want power by trampling the constitution should be pulled down first,’’ he said and reiterated his appeal to pull power-hungry people down from power.
"Even if we look at the current situation, our country is moving in the direction of a dictator. The situation has arisen today as was the policy of the British. The work of erecting caste-religion walls is currently going on. The work of getting power by any means is going on,’’ said Mr Thackeray.
Mr Thackeray hit out at the union law minister Mr Karen Rijiju for his statement questioning the transparency in the collegium system in the appointment of judges. ‘’Question marks are being raised about the judiciary. The union law minister is questioning the collegium system. Is the way the law minister speaks? Is that his personal opinion? It should be clarified,’’ he said.
‘’Prakash ji, there is a conflict between religions, the conflict between religions is because people are not allowed to live as human beings. Humanity is the greatest religion. Some grandfathers are talking now, and don't know what their grandsons will talk about (without naming Eknath Shinde). Balasaheb Thackeray never asked anyone’s caste,’’ said Mr Thackeray.
‘’In recent days, mob lynchings take place over the possession of beef. People are killed. But at the same time, after oppressing a woman and killing her daughter in front of her eyes, the killers are released and released, this is not our Hindutva (a reference to the release of the accused in Bilkis Banu case). Here we don't believe in caste and religion", Mr Thackeray said in a stinking dig at BJP.
Mr Ambedkar without naming BJP claimed that the country is being taken from democracy to dictatorship. ''It's time for everyone to decide whether they want democracy or dictatorship,'' he noted.
