Gujarat Assembly Elections: Uddhav Thackeray’s Veiled Jab In Congratulatory Message To PM Modi
The result in Gujarat was on expected lines and the election was once again fought under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership which was the reason why people voted in large numbers, Mr. Thackeray, a former BJP ally, said in a statement here.
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray today congratulated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) victory in the Gujarat elections while saying that projects “taken away” from Maharashtra contributed to the result.
The result in Gujarat was on expected lines and the election was once again fought under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership which was the reason why people voted in large numbers, Mr. Thackeray, a former BJP ally, said in a statement here.
“I congratulate the BJP and PM Modi for the victory in Gujarat which is record-breaking and historic,” he said.
He also took a jibe at the BJP government at the Centre by saying that “the projects which were taken away to Gujarat from Maharashtra also helped in the victory.”
The opposition parties in Maharashtra have been targeting the BJP over the state recently losing some big-ticket industrial projects to Gujarat.
The Aam Aadmi Party divided votes in Gujarat and it clearly benefited the BJP, the Sena leader further remarked.
Modi was visiting Maharashtra on December 11 and he was expected to make major announcements with an eye on the Mumbai civic polls, the Sena chief further said.
Gujarat poll results were as per expectations. The Gujarat poll was contested under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and therefore, people voted in large numbers. Projects that have been snatched from Maharashtra have also played a major role in it,” he said.
“But we need to be careful now as Karnataka elections are approaching and after robbing Maharashtra’s projects for Gujarat, they (Centre) might hand over bordering villages to Karnataka as well. The Opposition should be alert from today itself.”
Addressing the NCP state council meeting in Mumbai, party chief Sharad Pawar also said that the results of Gujarat polls are as per expectations. “…all of the country’s power was used to win the Gujarat elections. A number of decisions were taken to benefit the state. Many of the projects were sent to that state. There was no doubt about the results of Gujarat.”
Calling NCP workers to fill the “political vacuum” in Maharashtra, Pawar said, “People voted for AAP in Delhi while they voted for Congress in Himachal. People chose to vote to end the political vacuum. Political workers must take note of this. Maharashtra is witnessing a similar vacuum and it is NCP, which can connect with people to fill this vacuum here,” said Pawar.
He added that anti-BJP forces must be brought together and NCP workers must decide on how to connect with voters. “Though the local body polls are delayed in Maharashtra, NCP’s senior leadership must give the opportunity to youngsters in elections. This will provide the party with a second-rank leadership to continue its work,” said Pawar.
Speaking at his party’s State executive meeting, he said that the entire power machinery was used for the benefit of one particular State, Gujarat, noting that several big-ticket projects were shifted there.
Further, the 81-year-old former Union Minister said that there was always a political vacuum in any State, which was filled by the Bharatiya Janata Party in Gujarat and the Aam Aadmi Party in Delhi. “Such a vacuum exists in our State and I’m confident that NCP is capable of filling it by emerging as an alternative. We should focus to work on building the next generation of leaders,” Mr. Pawar said. He asked that the party functionaries work to unite all forces which oppose the BJP’s ideology.
Ahead of the winter session of the legislature, it was the NCP that took the lead to organize a protest against Maharashtra’s Shinde-Fadnavis government, scheduled on December 17, he said.
