The BJP lacks another prominent face to replace Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while the India bloc has several leaders who can take on the role of PM, and Aaditya Thackeray claims there is a strong undercurrent in favor of the opposition alliance across the country.
I’ve campaigned all over the state. What does it look like?
I can speak for the country, but what I have observed and also heard from across the country indicates that there is a strong undercurrent in favor of the India bloc. This sentiment stems from a decade of mismanagement by the BJP. Despite being in power at the Center and in several states simultaneously, if the party’s top leaders still resort to dividing people along sectarian lines, it raises concerns about the progress they demand. The BJP tries to exploit the religious divide when it does not perform well in the polls.
What do you have to say about the Prime Minister’s recent comments (targeting a particular community) in Rajasthan?
It’s unfortunate. I will not single out any specific leader because our fight is against the BJP’s divisive, dictatorial stance and approach. I may receive a notice from the Election Commission of India (ECI) to discuss this, but the BJP will certainly not receive a notice or will receive only a ‘friendly notice’ as the poll body has been completely subjugated to him and he may as well be working from the BJP office.
ECI has issued a notice to your party for using ‘Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji’ in the campaign song.
ECI has been biased towards us for the past two and a half years. They have legitimized something unconstitutional by recognizing the ‘Mindhe’ gang (a reference to Prime Minister Eknath Shinde’s faction getting the name and symbol of the Shiv Sena party).
While BJP leaders try to polarize voters and spread hatred, we are standing for something essential to Maharashtra’s identity. The Election Commission appears to be anti-Maharashtra, just like the BJP. They seem to ignore our country. You can put us behind bars or hang us wherever you want, but we will not stop talking “Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji.” We will not bow to them.
What makes you think that the BJP harbors animosity towards Maharashtra, a state that sends 48 MPs to the Lok Sabha, second only to Uttar Pradesh with 80 seats?
The Center has allowed Gujarat to go ahead with onion export, but Maharashtra has not given the same permission. In addition, Vedanta-Foxconn (semiconductor unit) was transferred from Maharashtra to Gujarat, but was eventually lost completely. Likewise, important projects like Tata Airbus, Bulk Drag Park, Medical Device Park, and even the Cricket World Cup final have been shifted to Gujarat instead of existing centers like Eden Gardens, Mumbai’s Wankhede, or Mohali. This is not to express any bias against Gujarat, but to highlight the BJP’s clear preference to impose Gujarati contractors on our state, depriving Maharashtra of jobs and industries. That is why we, in Maharashtra, feel neglected, just like Ladakh.
How different will the 2024 election campaign be compared to 2019?
In 2019, we decided to reconcile with the BJP when its top leadership visited Matoshree (the Thackeray family residence in Mumbai). They broke away from us during the 2014 House of Representatives elections. In 2019, they needed us, and now they need other parties. This time, they had to dismantle the NCP. Even now they are trying to lure Thackeray (Raj Thackeray) because we are not allied with them. What does Maharashtra gain by voting for the BJP? nothing.
The BJP has raised the slogan “Apki Bar 400 Bar”. Do you think the Modi factor is affecting voters in Maharashtra?
People say “abki baar BJP tadipaar”. Why aim for 400 seats? They have been in power for the past ten years. They must tell what they have achieved in the past decade. Farmers’ income was supposed to double. Has that been doubled? No, where are the smart cities? Are they on the moon? These were some of sentencenow rebranded as collateral.
Who do you see as a viable alternative to Mr. Modi?
The BJP lacks a prominent face to replace Mr. Modi. Are you suggesting that in a country of over a billion people, every other person is worthless? The India bloc has several leaders who could replace him.
Prime Minister Eknath Shinde and his faction leaders described the Thackeray family as unapproachable. How do you respond to Mr. Shinde’s criticism?
Uddhavji (Mr Shinde) was certainly not reachable when he went to make a deal with the BJP. The rest of the time, everyone across Maharashtra found Mr. Uddhav Thackeray accessible. This coward ran away just to save himself from jail and wanted to be with BJP to save himself. He did it in our worst hour (when Uddhav Thackeray underwent two surgeries as Prime Minister).
Do you attribute the division in your party to the state or central leadership of the BJP?
The BJP has been instrumental in making politics dirty. He took revenge on us,” Devendra Fadnavis (Deputy Chief Minister) said. But does seeking revenge entail a split in the party that has supported your party and its leaders through difficult times? They even insulted the holiest shrine for us, my grandfather’s room (where late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray used to meet workers, people and even celebrities) as a mere ‘kholi’ (small room). Likewise, they broke up the Pawar family, pitting them against each other. Such dirty politics, which Maharashtra has never witnessed before, is being run by the BJP, but we are determined to stop this invasion.
What impact do you think the Maratha reservation issue will have in the ongoing elections?
Every issue will have an impact on the state. The BJP has deceived all classes across India. In Maharashtra, they made multiple promises, including reservation for Marathas and Dangars. Despite their grip on power at the center and the state, they allowed various issues to escalate without addressing them for the benefit of the people.
As a young leader, how do you define Hindutva? Do you think your party’s core agenda has been diluted, as claimed by Mr. Shinde’s group?
This is laughable. Our Hindutva is very clear — Ram Aur Haath Ka Kaam in Hriday (Arm is in our hearts and skill is in our hands). Religion is in our hearts, but in governance the Constitution must prevail as the supreme religion. Our Hindutva does not dictate what we eat or what we wear.
Would you ever reconsider forming an alliance with the BJP, given that your party is allied with the Shiv Sena’s arch rival, the Congress?
Those whom we fought against in the past – be it due to corruption or mismanagement – have joined the BJP, forcing us to confront the BJP now. Today’s Congress looks cleaner than before. We have united under the India Caucus to protect our democracy, freedom of expression and constitutional rights. The BJP that we supported in the past was (Atal Bihari) Vajpayee’s partyGeeWhich believes in transparency, accountability, coexistence and inclusiveness. Today’s BJP only believes in the coexistence of CEO, IT and CBI, and that too only serves their purpose. My grandfather had openly supported the Congress Party in the presidential elections when Pratibha Patil and Pranab Mukherjee participated.
There was a dispute over sharing of Lok Sabha seats with Congress.
Seat-sharing issues between allies are bound to occur. It’s part of the electoral process. If these do not arise, it indicates that both parties lack strength. All negotiations have concluded and we are now fighting united for democracy and our Constitution.