Uddhav Thackeray
Credit: PTI Photo
Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday said those who were "saved" by the Shiv Sena in the past, are now "trying to finish it".
The former Maharashtra chief minister said many people had come to his residence 'Matoshree' to meet his father Bal Thackeray and him to 'save themselves'.
"At that time, Balasaheb never thought what will happen in future. He saved them. Those who were saved by Balasaheb and Shiv Sena are trying to finish it...Try doing it. It is my challenge," Thackeray said.
"They made us their enemies," he further claimed.
He was speaking at his residence Matoshree, where his party claimed that functionaries of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Vishva Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal joined the Shiv Sena (UBT).
The undivided Shiv Sena often took credit for saving Prime Minister Narendra Modi from getting sacked as the then chief minister of Gujarat after the 2002 riots. It claims that it was Bal Thackeray who saved Modi by speaking to then deputy prime minister and BJP stalwart LK Advani. Thackeray said it was the Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks who saved Mumbai during the 1992-93 riots.
He said that Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray gave a call of 'Garv se kaho hum Hindu hain' (Say with pride, we are Hindus) at a time when people used to fear calling themselves Hindus.
"In those days, Balasaheb (Thackeray) said to (BJP leader) Pramod Mahajan that Hindus will vote as Hindus in this country. Those days have come," Thackeray said. In an apparent reference to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he said those who struggled were someone else, while those benefiting from it a are someone else.
"They don't have any connection with the struggle. They are eating a fully-baked roti, but those who took efforts to make the rotis are unfortunately not with us or have been sidelined," Thackeray said.