Never Said Anything About ‘Congress-Mukt Bharat’: Uddhav Thackeray

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray also accused the Congress of spreading the word ‘Hindu terror’.

Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

After the alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray said: “We will not betray you, you shouldn't betray us.”

In his first interview to Sena mouthpiece Saamana after the alliance was forged, Thackeray spoke about how the alliance was on the basis of Hindutva.

He also accused the Congress of spreading the term “Hindu terror” in an editorial in the party mouthpiece.

“The word ‘saffron terror’ or ‘Hindu terror’ was spread when the Congress was in power at the Centre. Besides allegations, false cases were also filed against Hindus in the Samjhauta train blast and Malegaon bomb blast cases,” Thackeray said in an editorial in Saamana.

Targeting Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Thackeray in the interview said: “The Congress doesn't have the leadership. What is Rahul Gandhi doing exactly is a question before the people… Sometimes, he says something good and at times he makes a mess.”

He also credited his visit to Ayodhya for reigniting the Ram temple issue that was lying in the “cold storage”. He said, he would like the Supreme Court to set a deadline for the mediation process.

However, he made it clear that he never said anything about a “Congress-mukt country,” which is usually the BJP's stand.

“I never said anything about Congress-mukt country. I never said that finish the Congress because the Opposition should remain… Finish off or (be) Congress-mukt, I do not have such petty imagination. That said, the condition of the Congress today is bad, it does not have tall leaders it earlier had like [PV] Narasimha Rao.”

Uddhav Thackeray, Shiv Sena to <i>Saamana</i>

The Shiv Sena will contest on 23 seats of Maharashtra’s 48 Lok Sabha seats, while BJP on 25 in the April-May general elections.