Uddhav attacks BJP, says Central govt doesn't need friends

In the first of his statewide rallies, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray Sunday made a veiled attack on the BJP by claiming that the ruling dispensation at the Centre "did not need political alliances".

Thackeray Sunday addressed public meetings at Shirdi and Ahmednagar.

"When Atal ji's (Atal Bihari Vajpayee) government was there (at the Centre), it had the support of many political friends. (However), the current government does not need any political alliances," he said.

In another swipe at the Union government, of which his party is a constituent, Thackeray asked people to find out the veracity of claims made in the speeches of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

"I am asking party workers to find out how many people really benefited from the schemes of the BJP-led Central government. You should put up a poster of your findings next to that of PM Modi and let people decide," Thackeray told the gathering.

He targeted the BJP for "spreading lies" and raising the issue of construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya for electoral gains.

Speaking at a rally in Shirdi, Thackeray also addressed the frequent criticism of the Sena for hanging on to power (at the Centre and in Maharashtra) despite differences with the BJP.

"I am in power to get those things done that would benefit people. I am not one who will wag his tail in front of power. I am not hankering for power," Thackeray said.

In an apparent reference to the BJP, Thackeray said that "attaining power by spreading lies is sedition".

Training his guns on the Devendra Fadnavis government in the state, Thackeray said that its farm loan waiver scheme was a fraud and fiasco.

"If farmers have not benefited from the loan waiver, then we should speak about it," he said.

Thackeray confirmed that sitting Lok Sabha MP from Shirdi constituency, Sadashiv Lokhande, would be renominated for the 2019 general elections.