Uddhav rejects AIMIM alliance offer, says it's part of BJP's plan to defame Sena's Hindutva agenda
Mumbai, Mar 20: Asserting that Shiv Sena is a "Hindutvavadi" party, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday rejected AIMIM's offer for an alliance calling it a "conspiracy" by the opposition BJP to defame the Sena, which heads the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Addressing Shiv Sena MPs and other functionaries via video link, Thackeray, who heads Shiv Sena, dubbed Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM as the "B" team of BJP.
He lashed out at BJP, the former ally of Sena, on Hindutva and other issues and also referred to purported statements of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat on V D Savarkar and Sangh's purported move to set up 'shakhas' in Muslim-dominated areas.
"The Shiv Sena will never ally with the AIMIM, which is the 'B' team of the BJP. The BJP is using Hindutva only for political gains," Thackeray alleged.
"Who has sought an alliance with the AIMIM? This is a game plan and conspiracy of the BJP. The AIMIM and the BJP have a tacit understanding. The BJP has ordered the AIMIM to defame the Shiv Sena, to raise questions on Shiv Sena's Hindutva. Accordingly, the AIMIM leaders are making the offer of alliance, he claimed.
On Saturday, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) MP Imtiaz Jaleel caused a stir stating that his party can ally with the Shiv Sena-led MVA to prevent the BJP from coming to power, evoking sharp reactions from Sena.
Thackeray asked the Sena's rank and file to combat the BJP's approach of wanting to rule the entire country from the panchayat-level to the Parliament, which he said "portends dictatorship".
The Sena chief said the party will launch 'Shiv Sampark Mohim' from March 22 in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. He asked party leaders to highlight "the illusion and confusion" the BJP seeks to create in the minds of the people on various issues.
Taking a swipe at AIMIM, the Shiv Sena president said his party had never been associated with and will never be associated with those who bow before the grave of Aurangzeb.
We will never ally with the AIMIM, not even when we are asleep. But I am sure the AIMIM's alliance offer has come from the BJP. Because, by now, the entire country has realised that the AIMIM is the 'B' team of the BJP, Thackeray said.
He alleged that BJP was trying to divide votes and defame its political opponents using the AIMIM.
Thackeray said that the Shiv Sena snapped ties with the BJP, but not with Hindutva. He accused the BJP of using Hindutva only for political gains.
We play politics for Hindutva. They are using Hindutva only for politics. This is the main difference between them and us, he added.
On Saturday, senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis had termed Shiv Sena "Janab Sena" while responding to AIMIM's alliance offer to the Thackeray-led party.
Responding to that jibe, Thackeray recalled that the BJP had formed a government with pro-Pakistan PDP in Jammu-Kashmir in 2015.
The Sena cannot be as brazen as the BJP which had formed a government with the PDP We will never go with the AIMIM even if we are going to obtain power by doing so, he added.
Slamming BJP, he said, Who had bowed before Jinnah's tomb in Pakistan? Looking at this black history of the Bhartiya Janata Party, still, we are calling them Bhartiya Janta Party and not Pakistan Janata Party. If we do something in connection with Muslims then it is your love for the country. But if we do something, then it is labelled 'deshdroh' (treason) .
He wondered whether BJP can also be called Hizbul Janata Party for allying with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir.
Thackeray said RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had once stated that Hindutva ideologue V D Savarkar "was not an enemy of Muslims" and that he had written ghazals in Urdu.
The Sena chief also referred to a media report about the RSS purportedly planning to set up shakhas (branches) in Muslim-dominated areas.
Now, what are you going to do with these Muslims? Are you going to call RSS a Muslim Sangh or Musalman Sangh or Rashtriya Musalman Sangh? Will you also call Mohan Bhagwat a Khan or so? Thackeray questioned.
He said the thinking of Sena and RSS about Hindutva matches sometimes .
Thackeray asked Sena leaders to politically destroy "neo-Hindus" who wear the burkha of Hindutva for politics.
The Sena chief said the BJP was following in the footsteps of Adolf Hitler and implementing its campaign machinery on the lines of the Nazi dictator.
He accused state governor B S Koshyari of murdering democracy by delaying approval to 12 names sent by the MVA to him to be appointed as MLCs from the governor's quota.
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If I've to prove my worth and value, that place is not for me: Kohli
New Delhi (PTI): Virat Kohli still loves the game enough to be focussed on playing next year's World Cup but the star India batter also makes it clear that if his worth is constantly called into question in a certain "environment", he would accept that the "place is not meant" for him.
Speaking on his IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bengaluru's podcast, the 37-year-old superstar said he detests constant change of positions as far as the judgement on his value is concerned.
"I am always ready because that's my daily life. You know, I work out, we eat well at home. It is because I like living that way. It is not only to play cricket. So that is where I am. I mean, this 27 (2027 World Cup) chat and all that...I've been asked so many times, 'do you want to play 27?'," he said.
"I know the answer. Like, why would I leave my home, you know, get my stuff over and be like, I don't know what I want. Of course, if I'm playing, I want to play cricket. I want to carry on. Playing a World Cup for India is amazing. But as I said, the value has to be two sides," he asserted.
"My perspective is very clear. If I can add value to the environment that I am part of, and the environment feels that I can add value, I will be seen. If I am made to feel like I need to prove my worth and my value, I am not in that space," said Kohli, who is counted among the greats of the game.
Kohli only plays the ODI format now after quitting T20 Internationals in 2024 and Tests in 2025. With ODI schedule shrinking considerably in the past few years, Kohli's India appearances are now scarce.
The next series he is likely to feature in is the away three-match assignment against England from July 14 to July 19. Despite his desire to be a part of the team, India head coach Gautam Gambhir has been largely non-committal on what the future holds for both Kohli and another ODI great Rohit Sharma.
Kohli said he would be around till he is wanted in the set-up.
"I am being honest to my preparations, I am being honest to how I approach the game. I put my head down, I work hard. When I arrive to play, I work as hard if not harder than anyone else and I play the game in the right way," he added.
Giving an insight into his approach towards the game, Kohli said he is always prepared for the grind even as a fielder expected to "run boundary to boundary for 40 overs".
"I will do that because I prepare accordingly. I am prepared that I will field 50 overs. After operating in this way, if I have to prove my worth and value, that place is not meant to be for me," he said.
Kohli cited his return to Vijay Hazare Trophy after two decades during the 2025-26 season. He turned up in two games for Delhi and smacked a hundred in one of them besides becoming the fastest to reach 16,000 List A runs.
"I was very clear in my head that I am not going out there to prove anything to anyone. I am going there to play because I love playing the game. That's how I played Vijay Hazare as well. It was amazing.
"I thought I have played for so long, do I have the motivation? But the moment my intention switched to 'I want to play because I love the game', I just loved batting. I felt like a child again. I was like this is not about anyone, this is about me and the game," he explained.
Considered among the greatest ODI batters of all time, Kohli has 14,797 runs in 311 matches at an average of 58.71. He has amassed 54 centuries and 77 fifties during his ODI journey and has earned the moniker 'chase master' for his ability to deliver under pressure.
'Don't complicate things'
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Kohli said he finds his joy in playing but not in an environment where questions are raised after selection.
"The moment I feel like people are trying to complicate it for me and be like 'oh this and that'. Either be clear and honest and upfront or be quiet and let me play. If you go to a workplace and people say we believe in your abilities and a week later they start questioning the way you operate, it's like why?" he elaborated.
"Either tell me on day one that I am not good enough or I am not needed but if you have said that I am good enough and that we are not thinking otherwise, then be quiet. If you start operating up and down because of results, you can never have a consistent stance," he said.
