Uddhav Thackeray of the Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday slammed the Bharatiya Janata Party-led NDA government, saying US President Donald Trump was “mocking” Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was “unable to give a strong reply.
At a press conference, Uddhav Thackeray alleged that Modi and Amit Shah were behaving like propaganda ministers of the BJP while the nation needed a prime minister and a home minister to deal with extant challenges.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also questioned Modi after his “farmers are top priority” remark amid a 25% additional tariff on Indian goods by the US. Thackeray alleged that the Centre did not care about farmers during the 2020-21 protests against the Centre’s now-repealed three farm laws.
Recalling the farmers’ protest, Thackeray said the protestors were stopped from entering the national capital, and some even died.
“The farmers who wanted to come to Delhi were stopped. Some of the poor farmers died. You did not remember the farmers then. Now you are remembering the farmers,” the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief told reporters.
He alleged that the government’s “lies” are being exposed now.
Thackeray said, “Now everyone says ‘I am a farmer’s son’. This means their fathers were on a hunger strike, and they were not allowed to come to Delhi. Guns were used on them. Walls were erected, and they were called Naxalites. All their lies are slowly getting exposed, day by day, and their real face is coming out.”
Thackeray’s remarks came in the wake of Trump on Wednesday slapping an additional 25 per cent tariff, raising the total duties to 50 per cent on goods coming from India, as a penalty for New Delhi’s continued purchase of Russian oil.
Uddhav Thackeray attacks Centre
“Today, the prime minister, home minister, and defence minister function more as propaganda ministers for the BJP. Had Modi been the nation’s prime minister, he would have visited Pahalgam, but he chose to visit Bihar,” news agency ANI quoted Thackeray as saying.
He said the Shiv Sena-UBT was committed to the opposition INDIA bloc grouping and dismissed suggestions that his party would go it alone after reuniting with his cousin Raj Thackeray, the founder of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS).
“There is no need to talk about Raj Thackeray. There are no conditions attached for being part of the opposition INDIA bloc. As far as Raj is concerned, we two brothers are steadfast in our approach. We both will take care of it,” Thackeray said.
The Shiv Sena-UBT supremo is in the national capital to participate in the meeting of the opposition INDIA bloc convened by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. This is the first in-person meeting of the opposition alliance since its defeat in the Lok Sabha elections last year.