‘Atal ji became PM for sake of secularism’: Uddhav attacks BJP over Advani snub

Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday launched an offensive against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its claims that he abandoned Hindutva to form a coalition government in the state with Congress and Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party.

Uddhav Thackeray said Shiv Sena supported BJP’s Rath Yatra when it was opposed by almost all political parties.

He said Lal Krishna Advani was the face of BJP but Atal Bihari Vajpayee became India’s prime minister because the coalition parties opposed the former’s name.

“When BJP started Rath yatra, we supported them. They had only two MPs. Advani was their face. But when government had to be formed and BJP wanted support from Jayalalithaa and others, they opposed Advani’s face for sake of secularism and Atal ji became PM. So who left Hinduism – Shiv Sena or BJP?” ANI quoted Thackeray as saying.

Thackeray also criticised the role of media and said it has “lotus (BJP symbol) in its hand instead of pen”, adding the judiciary is the only hope left as three of the four pillars of democracy have collapsed.

“Maharashtra was not shaped by Modi ji but by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The three pillars of democracy have collapsed. Media has lotus in its hand instead of pen. Only hope left is Judiciary and Supreme Court. Judiciary won’t let the downfall of justice happen,” Uddhav Thackeray said, as per ANI.

Thackeray’s remarks came at a time when a five-judge constitution bench headed by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud was taking forward the hearing on the events that unfolded during the June 2022 Maharashtra political crisis triggered by a revolt in the then undivided Shiv Sena by MLAs loyal to Eknath Shinde.

The Supreme Court observed on Wednesday that calling for a trust vote merely on the ground of differences between MLAs of a ruling party, adding the governor of a state cannot lend his office to effectuate a particular result.

“Difference of opinion among MLAs within a party can be on any ground like payment of development fund or deviation from party ethos but can that be a sufficient ground for the governor to call for the floor test? Governor cannot lend his office to effectuate a particular result. Calling for a trust vote will lead to toppling of elected government,” the bench said.