Mumbai, 27 June (HS): Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav

Thackeray attacked the BJP on Saturday for its brand of Hindutva, accusing the

party of abandoning Hindus by playing on their emotions. The former Maharashtra chief minister has

also promised to organize rallies to guarantee BJP-mukt Ram. Addressing a

gathering in the Yavatmal-Washim seat, represented by dissident Shiv Sena (UBT)

MP Sanjay Deshmukh, who recently joined the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde,

Thackeray accused the BJP of inciting political party divisions to deflect

attention away from pressing concerns. Real Hindutva teaches humanity. We

condemn your (BJP's) Hindutva of robbing temples. We want 'BJP-mukt Ram', and

the Shiv Sena (UBT) would spearhead such rallies, he stated.

The suspected misappropriation of funds at the Ram temple

has escalated into a serious scandal. A Special Investigation Team (SIT)

examination discovered flaws in the shrine's contribution management system,

and eight personnel involved in counting cash and valuables were detained. All

eight were placed in judicial custody on Friday, with detectives claiming to

have recovered Rs 79.85 lakh. Referring to the recent insurrection, Thackeray

apologized to followers for supporting a leader who subsequently defected and

accused rebel leaders of breaking the confidence of Shiv Sena workers and voters.

I suggested scarecrow, and you elected him, for which I apologize. You voted

him based only on the visage of the Shiv Sena chief and my remarks. He deceived

us and destroyed the faith you had in him. There is a herd of traitors, he

claimed. Thackeray said that real Shivsainiks were loyal to him, while

targeting dissident MPs who had lately joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

The actual Shivsainiks are with me. You are all seeing the other people's

actions. I honestly feel terrible that they were able to stay with our

organization for so long, he stated.

Thackeray again resurrected his 50 khokha (Rs 50 crore) charge

against Shinde, saying that the supposed price of MLAs during the 2022 Shiv

Sena split was Rs 50 crore and querying what MPs are worth today, in an

apparent allusion to his party's latest mutiny.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi