Mumbai: In the wake of developments surrounding the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, BJP leader Kirit Somaiya launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray, alleging that their politics had long suppressed the aspirations of Mumbai’s citizens.
Speaking to the media, Somaiya claimed that Mumbaikars had wanted meaningful change for years but were held back by what he termed a “mafia culture” of intimidation. “Mumbaikar wanted to do a lot for years, but this mafia, be it Raj Thackeray or Uddhav Thackeray, used to threaten and scare them. Today, the people of Mumbai have taught them a lesson,” he said.
Taking aim particularly at former Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, the BJP leader accused him of political betrayal and ideological inconsistency. “He betrayed his own father,” Somaiya remarked, referring to the late Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray. He further questioned the political support base that stood by Uddhav Thackeray in recent times.
“Who was it who had saved the dignity of Uddhav Thackeray in the end? Muslims and Bangladeshis,” Somaiya alleged, adding a controversial remark that “he had to take refuge in Allah in the end.”
Somaiya’s comments come amid heightened political tensions in Mumbai, with the BMC election seen as a crucial battle for influence in India’s financial capital. The civic body, one of the richest municipal corporations in Asia, has long been a stronghold of the Shiv Sena, making the political contest symbolically and strategically significant.
The remarks are likely to intensify the war of words between the BJP and Shiv Sena factions, as parties position themselves ahead of future electoral contests in Maharashtra.
