Uddhav Thackeray.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Coinciding with the auspicious occasion of Dussehra, Shiv Sena (UBT) head Uddhav Thackeray promised to build temples for legendary Maratha warrior Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in all districts of Maharashtra once they come to power after the Vidhan Sabha polls.
“Yes…we will build temples of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in every district of Maharashtra and in every state in India,” Thackeray asserted during the annual Dussehra rally at the historic Shivaji Park in Mumbai.
“The temples would have the life history of Shivaji Maharaj from where people can draw inspiration,” said Thackeray, a former Maharashtra Chief Minister, who is a key leader of the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi.
This is a significant announcement ahead of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly polls and in the backdrop of the collapse of statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj at Malvan in Sindhudurg district, following which the BJP-led Maha Yuti dispensation headed by Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar came under fire.
The incident also saw prime Minister Narendra Modi apologising to those hurt by the collapse of the 17th-century warrior king’s statue at Rajkot Fort in Sindhudurg district of Maharashtra.
Besides this, it may be mentioned that even after the jal-pujan by Modi eight years ago, things have not moved ahead as far as erecting the grand statue of Shivaji Maharaj in the Arabian Sea off Mumbai. Yuvraj Sambhaji Raje Chhatrapati, a descendent of Shivaji Maharaj and iconic social reformer Chhatrapati Rajarshi Shahu Maharaj, has already raised the issue. He has floated Maharashtra Swarajya Party which is set to contest polls.
The announcement also assumes significance in the wake of the Maratha reservation issue.
Speaking on the issue further, Thackeray said: “Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj is a vote bank for them, but for us he is God.”
In his annual address, Thackeray also hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Thackeray also questioned the RSS chief Dr Mohan Bhagwat over the current state of affairs of BJP. “We respect the RSS… the RSS chief… RSS workers… but does the RSS chief agree of what is happening… he is saying come together to save Hindutva, why didn't you or Modi save Hindutva in the last 10 years?… this is not the BJP of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Lal Krishna Advani…today’s BJP is a hybrid BJP,” he said.
Thackeray said that this is the Maharashtra of Shivaji Maharaj and Shahu-Phule-Ambedkar and would not allow it to become the Maharashtra of Modi-Shah.
Concluding his address, Thackeray swore by Shivaji Maharaj and Balasaheb and asserted to keep the mashaal burning.