Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray launched a sharp attack on the BJP and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, alleging that the “BJP has looted Mumbai’s treasury” and is trying to pit Gujaratis against Marathis for political gains ahead of the crucial BMC elections.
He framed the battle for Mumbai as a fight to protect Marathi identity and control over the city.
Thackeray said the struggle that began under Balasaheb Thackeray for the rights of the “Marathi manoos” remains unfinished, even though Shiv Sena is not against people of other languages. He recalled how Mumbai became part of Maharashtra after “bloodshed and sacrifice”, yet today, according to him, Marathi people are being denied homes while builder lobbies “backed by the BJP” dominate the city, and key economic activities have been shifted to Gujarat since 2014.
Questioning Fadnavis, he asked why the BJP leader “does not consider a Marathi person a Hindu”, asserting that he is Marathi but “first and foremost a patriotic Hindu”.
Thackeray alleged that if Fadnavis truly belonged to Mumbai, “he would not have looted Mumbai’s treasury”, accusing the BJP of draining the city’s resources.
In the much-awaited alliance with his cousin Raj Thackeray after two decades, Uddhav likened it to making a “new film after 20 years,” signalling a fresh political script in Mumbai. He said their joint visits to shakhas, roadshows and public meetings have generated “tremendous enthusiasm”, while attacking what he called “corruption pollution” in the name of development under the BJP.
Defending his record as Chief Minister during Covid-19, Thackeray highlighted the globally appreciated “Mumbai model”, field hospitals built in 18 days, coastal road work, improved BEST services and property tax waivers up to 500 sq ft, promising more medical colleges and civic upgrades if voted to power in BMC.
On the BJP’s claim that he is “pro-Muslim”, he countered that the party has no achievements left to showcase and pointed to Narendra Modi’s own outreach moves abroad, while accusing the BJP–Mahayuti camp of scams, drug trade and hypocrisy.
He admitted that the Maha Vikas Aghadi are “somewhat scattered” but stressed that unlike the Mahayuti allies, they are not publicly attacking each other. For Thackeray, the upcoming BMC polls are not just a civic contest but a defining test of Marathi pride, Mumbai’s ownership and the future of his brand of politics.