Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for including the promise of free coronavirus vaccines for all residents of Bihar in manifesto ahead of the Legislative Assembly elections in the state.
Annual Dussehra rally
Thackeray was speaking at Shiv Sena’s annual Dussehra rally in Mumbai today when he made the statements attacking the BJP led Centre over several issues.
“You are talking about giving free vaccines in Bihar. Is the rest of the country Pakistan or Bangladesh? Those speaking like that should be ashamed of themselves. You are at the centre,” Thackeray said.
The Maharashtra CM further also raised the ‘Hindutva issue’, which had been hotly debated after Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari’s ‘secular’ remark aimed at him.
Hindutva
“We are being asked about Hindutva, that why are we not re-opening temples in the state. They say my Hindutva is different from that of Balasaheb Thackeray. Your Hindutva is about clanging bells and utensils, our Hindutva is not like that,” he said.
The Sena chief said that while the country was battling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic the BJP was only interested in toppling elected governments in various states.
“A peculiar this is happening around the country, around the country COVID-19 has impacted the economy but the government’s focus is on toppling governments in other states. BJP is inviting anarchy by doing so,” Thackeray said.
“It has been a year now. From the day I became the CM, it was being said that the state government will be toppled. I challenge and say that if you have the courage, do it and show,” he added.