Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the BJP-led government at the centre, criticising their handling of the situation in Jammu and Kashmir after the removal of Article 370 of the constitution which gave the former state special status.
Despite supporting the revocation of Article 370 initially, Mr Thackeray expressed concerns about the prevailing conditions in the region in an interview released by his party, Shiv Sena UBT.
“Target killing is still happening there. Kashmiri Pandits cannot return to the Valley. No one can buy land there. Elections are not happening. Kashmir has been divided into pieces. Leh-Ladakh separated. Jammu was separated, then why don’t you hold elections now?” he said.
Needled about sitting next to Mehbooba Mufti, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, Mr Thackeray reminded the BJP of its previous alliance with her and challenged them to establish a stable government in the region.
On the topic of the Uniform Civil Code, Mr Thackeray promised that Shiv Sena would engage in discussions, emphasising the need for equal law enforcement for all citizens and accusing the BJP of only trying to score political points.
“From Kashmir to Kanyakumari, show it by banning cow slaughter. Bring peace to Manipur and show it. You can’t do anything there and if you mean Uniform Civil Law only for someone’s marriage, then it is a different part,” he said.
On the Election Commission’s decision to give the Shiv Sena party name and symbol to rival Eknath Shinde, Mr Thackeray stated, “This name is powerfully given by my grandfather. If someone rises like this and starts becoming Shiv Sena chief, people will hit him with shoes.”
Addressing the state of affairs in Manipur, Mr Thackeray urged the President and the Governor of Manipur, both women, to “take a stance”.
Attacking the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Mr Thackeray said that the alliance is now reduced to only “three parties” – the Enforcement Directorate (ED), Income Tax, and Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
