'Aurangzeb Fan Club' Vs Ahmad Shah Abdali showdown between Thackeray, Shah takes over Maharashtra politics
File photo of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena (UBT) top leader Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday (Aug 3) and accused the ruling party of engaging in "power jihad" to destabilise political parties and retain power.
Thackeray's remarks came during a party meeting in Pune, part of the build-up to the crucial assembly polls expected in October this year.
Responding to a recent comment by Union Minister Amit Shah, who labelled him as the leader of the "Aurangzeb Fan Club," Thackeray retorted that Shah is the "political heir" of Ahmad Shah Abdali, the Afghan ruler who defeated the Marathas at the Battle of Panipat.
This exchange follows Shah’s July 21 speech in Pune, where he attacked Thackeray with the same accusation.
Thackeray further accused the BJP, a former ally, of orchestrating splits within political parties, specifically targeting the Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
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He cited a letter from former Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Balasaheb Deoras to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. Deoras is known to have told Gandhi to ensure no hatred toward Muslims or non-Hindus and to promote secularism as a core Hindu trait.
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He claimed that the people of Maharashtra had sent a strong message to Shah during the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Thackeray asserted that the BJP equates any alignment with Muslims, even after explaining their version of Hindutva, as being part of the "Aurangzeb Fan Club". Thackeray also labelled the current Eknath Shinde government’s "Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin" scheme as an attempt to bribe voters with freebies.
Meanwhile, the serving Maharashtra deputy chief minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis called Thackeray "disappointed and frustrated," and repeated Amit Shah's remarks that Thackeray is reportedly affiliated with the purported "Aurangzeb Fan Club."
(With inputs from agencies)