Uddhav Thackeray says sat next to Mehbooba Mufti on purpose; attacks Fadnavis
Mumbai, Jan 24: Under attack from the Bharatiya Janata Party for sitting next to People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Mehbooba Mufti at the Opposition meeting in Patna, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said he did so purposely and waved photos of her with top BJP leaders.
Addressing party workers, Thackeray claimed Mufti told him that the BJP's alliance with the PDP was on the condition that Article 370, which provided special status to Jammu and Kashmir, won't be abolished.
Thackeray slammed Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for dubbing Friday's Opposition meeting as an attempt by the parties "to save their political families and dynasties" and said the senior BJP leader should not stoop so low.
"I sat next to her purposely," Thackeray said.
Targeting BJP's rivals, Fadnavis said on Friday that the Opposition meeting was for "Modi Hatao" (remove Modi) but the leaders were working to protect their dynasties.
"Uddhav Thackeray used to criticise us (BJP) for going with Mehbooba Mufti in Kashmir. Now he (Thackeray) is sitting next to Mehbooba Mufti and talking about forming an alliance," Fadnavis said.
This drew a counter from Thackeray.
"Those who align with you are clean. You (BJP) left Hindutva when you went with Mehbooba. We will tear the burqa of your fake Hindutva," he said.
Thackeray waved pictures of Mufti with BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that his party has not abandoned Hindutva.
Continuing his attack on Fadnavis, Thackeray said, "I am very sensitive about my family. Do not stoop so low. You also have a family and WhatsApp chats about your family are out. We have not started talking about it because if his (Fadnavis) family has to be talked about, then he has to do shavasana' (corpse pose in yoga)."
Thackeray was apparently referring to chats between Fadnavis's wife Amruta and suspected bookie Anil Jaisinghani and his daughter Aniksha. The chats are part of the chargesheet against Jaisinghani, Aniksha and his cousin Nirmal in a case related to demanding bribes and trying to extort money from Amruta Fadnavis.
The chargesheet includes multiple screenshots of WhatsApp chats and messages exchanged between Amruta and the father-daughter duo.
Hitting back at Thackeray, Fadnavis said he, his family and the BJP are like an open book. He said the chats are in the chargesheet with a purpose.
Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also targeted Thackeray.
Shinde said the revolt by Shiv Sena MLAs against Thackeray stands vindicated after the Patna meet. The rebellion, spearheaded by Shinde, toppled the Thackeray-led three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi government of Shiv Sena (UBT), Congress and NCP last year.
Accusing Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva, Shinde said he sat in the league of Congress, Rashtriya Janta Dal, PDP, and Janata Dal (United) that were bitterly criticised by Sena founder Bal Thackeray. The same people opposed the construction of Ayodhya Ram temple, abrogation of Article 370 and Hindutva, he said.
The Opposition parties coming together is a victory of PM Modi's leadership, Shinded added.
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AP Home Minister says she takes Pawan Kalyan's remarks 'positively'
Amaravati, Nov 5: Andhra Pradesh Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha on Tuesday said she viewed Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan's remarks on her handling of the state's law and order situation in a constructive way.
Anitha’s response followed Kalyan’s criticism the previous day over deteriorating law and order conditions and increased violence against women, particularly five months into the tenure of the new coalition government comprising the TDP, BJP, and Janasena.
"I took his (Kalyan’s) comments positively. His press meet was, in fact, encouraging. He provided a supportive foundation for my work and urged me to be even more assertive. That's what he communicated,” Anitha told reporters.
Anitha added that, as the Home Minister, she recognises her responsibilities and the demands of her role.
She also emphasised that Kalyan did not label her a failure.
The Home Minister noted that she had spoken to Kalyan about the matter, and he clarified that he was referring to the alleged registration of cases based on caste under the previous YSRCP government.
Further, she underscored that Andhra Pradesh is strict about maintaining law and order.
“The Chief Minister is serious that anyone contemplating a crime should fear. He (CM) said we will bring special laws to deter criminal behaviour. This message came directly from the CM,” she said.
Defending Kalyan as the Deputy Chief Minister, Anitha claimed that some people were "unnecessarily politicising" the issue.
On Monday, the Deputy CM expressed concerns about the state’s law and order situation, suggesting that “things would be different” if he were the Home Minister—remarks seen as direct criticism of Vangalapudi Anitha.
His comments came after recent incidents, including the rape and murder of a four-year-old girl by a relative in Tirupati district.
Meanwhile, YSRCP leader B Rajendranath sought to know who Kalyan was questioning.
"Whom are you (Kalyan) questioning? You are in power. You are the Deputy Chief Minister. Are you questioning yourself, your government, a particular minister, the CM, or the police department? We do not understand," Rajendranath said during a press conference in Hyderabad.
Rajendranath noted that while Anitha holds the Home Department portfolio, law and order is overseen by the CM. He questioned Kalyan's criticism of the police department’s functioning, reasoning that the government cannot operate without the system in place.
He advised Kalyan to address crime effectively, while former Tourism Minister and YSRCP leader RK Roja suggested that Kalyan’s comments reflected "failure" on the part of both the Deputy Chief Minister and Chief Minister.
Further, she alleged that the Home Minister has become "useless".
