"Fooled people once. Don't do it again", Shiv Sena chief takes a pot shot at Rahul Gandhi on 'garibi hatao'

Slamming Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his poll promises, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday claimed only the Gandhi family's poverty had been eradicated since the slogan 'garibi hatao' was first coined.

Addressing a poll rally here, Thackeray said the 'garibi hatao' (banish povery) slogan was coined by the Congress chief's grandmother (then Prime Minister) Indira Gandhi and thereafter, only the poverty of his family had been eradicated and not of people.

"You have fooled people once. Don't do it again....Rahul Gandhi says Article 370 will not be touched...will you give the reigns of the nation to such people?" he asked.

Uddhav Thackeray said that the Congress chief called Veer Savarkar a "coward", adding that had former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru "endured" what Savarkar had to, he would have called Nehru "courageous".

Slamming the NCP for criticising him for accompanying BJP chief Amit Shah at a gathering when the latter filed his nomination papers, Thackeray said it was the same party that had tried to sneak into the (BJP-led) government fearing the Sena's entry after 2014 Maharashtra Assembly polls.

The Sena chief further said late party patriarch Bal Thackeray made Congress nominee Milind Deora's father Murli Deora Mumbai mayor, otherwise, people would not even have known the family. Deora is contesting from the Mumbai South Lok Sabha seat where he is pitted against Sena's sitting MP Arvind Sawant.

Read: Uddhav Thackeray Takes A Pot Shot At Congress, Says 'won't Let Rahul Gandhi Win By Supporting Traitors'

Earlier, hitting out at Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his party's promise to abolish sedition law, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday that he will not be allowed to come to power by supporting "traitors". While addressing an election rally at Kalmeshwar in support of Shiv Sena's Ramtek constituency candidate Krupal Tumane, Uddhav Thackeray said that BJP, Shiv Sena and the Republican Party of India (RPI) have come together on one ideology for the love of the nation.

"But, I want to ask why have Maha Aghadi come together who have conflicts between them. Who are these people? Our dream is for the country, what about you? Your dream is only power. Our prime minister will be Narendra Modi tomorrow also. And I want to ask the opposition to announce one name for the PM's post," he had added.

(With inputs from PTI)