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Estranged cousins Uddhav and Raj Thackeray are pitted against each other in the Maharashtra legislative Assembly poll. However, they’re doing one thing in common and that is to target Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for an alleged attempt to divide Mumbai and Maharashtra after coming to power in the state.
Uddhav, who has charged the BJP with “back stabbing” after its decision to end the 25-year alliance with the Shiv Sena, alleged the former’s election team was akin to an army led by Afzal Khan, whom Shivaji had fought, to capture power. He said the SS would foil the BJP's attempt to assume power and divide the state. Ridiculing the BJP for bring in Modi for its campaign, he said it lacked any capable leader.
Raj, in a scathing attack, asked whether Modi was the Prime Minister of India or Gujarat. As proof, he said Modi had announced a high-speed train between Mumbai and Ahmedabad. In the past, he’d praised Modi for being pro-development; now, he accuses Modi of divisive politics.
Uddhav and Raj also attacked Gujarat chief minister Anandiben Patel for her open invitation to industrialists from Maharashtra to come to Gujarat. Referring to Modi's statement that development of Mumbai and Maharashtra was crucial to boost the country's development, he questioned how Patel’s invitation fitted with this.
