BHOPAL: With just two months left for assembly polls in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh, Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray’s family has entered the poll-bound state in support of once its biggest foe, but now it’s Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) partner Congress.
The Thackeray family’s third generation, former Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s ex-minister son Aditya Thackeray addressed a mega rally in Pandhurna assembly segment of poll-bound MP’s largest district Chhindwara on Friday.
Chhindwara, importantly has been state Congress chief and former CM Kamal Nath’s bastion since 1980. While his son Nakul Nath is currently the Chhindwara MP, all eight assembly segments are represented by the Congress, including the Chhindwara assembly segment having Kamal Nath as its MLA.
The young Shiv Sena (Uddhav) faction leader joined Kamal Nath and Nath’s first-time MP son Nakul Nath in unveiling the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in Chhindwara’s Pandhurna area, which neighbours Maharashtra’s Nagpur district.
Addressing the gathering replete with saffron flags, Aditya Thackeray raised the issues of inflation and farmers to plight due to deficient and excessive rainfall which is troubling farmers of both the neighbouring states, ruled by BJP and allies. While terming Maharashtra CM and his old party colleague Eknath Shinde as “illegal CM,” the Thackeray Jr drew parallels between how the Congress and MVA governments in MP and Maharashtra respectively were pulled down by the BJP. “Real Shivshahi will be ushered in MP only, after the unjust rule of BJP is ended in the state. We’re eagerly awaiting Kamal Nath Saheb to return as MP CM. Please tell me the date when you (Nath) will take oath as CM again.”
Recounting the endeared bond between his party and Nath, Thackeray said, “be it during the MVA regime, when I was a minister in Maharashtra or now, Kamal Nath Saheb has always stood connected with us, enquiring whether everything is going smoothly with the Congress or not.”
Recounting his meeting with the Shiv Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray during the days of Emergency, Nath said, “Aditya wasn’t even born at that time. I still remember Sanjay Gandhi sending me to Balasaheb to convince him to support the imposition of emergency for the nation's good. My meeting with Balasaheb continued for around two and half hours and in between that meeting, Balasaheb assured me that Shiv Sena firmly supported the Emergency.”
Importantly, the Pandhurna-ST assembly constituency of Chhindwara district has maximum Marathi-speaking voters and lies next to the Nagpur district of Maharashtra. The Congress won the seat in 2013 and 2018, but the BJP is trying its best to wrest the seat it won in 2003 and 2008.
The chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had last month initiated the process of fulfilling the long pending demand of making Pandhurna a separate district. Aiming to counter the BJP’s poll strategy of benefitting by creating a separate Pandhurna district, Kamal Nath got the long-awaited statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji unveiled in Pandhurna on Friday. Roping in Aditya Thackeray for the event was aimed at ensuring that the Marathi-speaking voters stay behind the Congress only.
As per sources within the MP Congress, Friday’s Pandhurna event could just be the start of many such rallies which will be addressed by Aditya Thackeray in other districts of MP, which house Marathi speaking population, including Khargone, Barwani, Betul, Khandwa, Burhanpur, Chhindwara, Balaghat and Seoni.
Making light of the event in Pandhurna, MP CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that during his 15-month stint in power, Kamal Nath had stopped the installation of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s statue in Sausar area of the same Chhindwara district. “I had at that time come to Chhindwara and protested with commoners over the issue. The same fake and seasonal Hindus, who had then insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji are now installing Shivaji Maharaj’s statue.”
