Published 21:13 IST, February 23rd 2020
After meeting with Pawar, Thackeray slams BJP over violent protests in UP, Shaheen Bagh
Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday blamed the BJP government over the violence in protests that were unleashed in Uttar Pradesh and Shaheen Bagh.
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Maharashtra Chief Minister on Sunday blamed the BJP government over the violence in protests that were unleashed in Uttar Pradesh and the protest site Shaheen Bagh. The Shiv Sena chief, in addition, lambasted the 'terror attack' in Jawaharlal Nehru University on January 5.
The statement came after Thackeray held a closed-door meeting with NCP president Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar at his official residence on Sunday. This comes against the backdrop of Thackeray's recent statement that he had no problems with the NPR and nobody should be afraid over the CAA. The Shiv Sena's stand appeared at variance with that of the NCP and the Congress, which are its alliance partners in the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi government.
"Wherever BJP governments are in power like Uttar Pradesh or Delhi which is under Home Ministry, we have seen protests like Shaheen Bagh going on for over 60 days. In Uttar Pradesh, riots have taken place over CAA protests," the Maharashtra CM said on Sunday.
"In the worst situations, like Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), terrorists entered university and the way they thrashed (students). I have not come across any news that they have been arrested," he added. Altogether 51 people were injured and private cars and property damaged when masked people, armed with rods and sticks, attacked students and teachers of JNU. However, no arrests have been made by the Delhi Police yet.
U-turn by Shiv Sena
Such flip-flops by Shiv Sena have been witnessed repeatedly since the formation of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government in November 2019. After breaking the alliance with BJP over the issue of rotational CM post, the Sena has been perceived to have compromised on its core ideological beliefs due to alleged pressure from its new allies Congress and NCP. While Thackeray openly went against the NCP’s demand in the Elgar Parishad case, he has avoided antagonizing the Congress party.
For instance, the Maharashtra CM refused to take a categorical position on Rahul Gandhi’s insulting reference to freedom fighter Veer Savarkar. During the recent interview with Saamana, Thackeray also refused to comment on Congress leader Ashok Chavan’s astonishing claim that his party formed the government on the instruction of the minority community. Furthermore, the fact that Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray directed people to view his father’s tweets instead of the video of the press conference, indicates that the Sena wanted to recalibrate its position on the CAA and NPR.
21:13 IST, February 23rd 2020