Unnecessary acceleration can cause accidents: Uddhav Thackeray’s veiled advice to BJP

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray said that though Shiv Sena is an alliance partner of the BJP in Maharashtra since 2014 Assembly election, he has never conspired to topple the government.

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Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched yet another veiled attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the Centre, saying that whether one accepts or not, the economy is facing slow down and this is causing the problem of joblessness in the country. “Whether there is economic slowdown or not we will see later but jobs are going, businesses are shutting down this is clearly visible and let us accept that,” Thackeray said in an interview to party mouthpiece Saamana.

Uddhav said that though Shiv Sena is an alliance partner of the BJP in Maharashtra since 2014 Assembly election, he has never conspired to topple the government. "Did I betray the government or conspire to pull it down...No. We were in government without any power for last five years. There were differences, and we raised our voice wherever we felt things were wrong," he said.

Taking a jibe at the BJP the Sena supremo said that in an alliance both parties must adopt caution and if the speed is accelerated unnecessarily, it is bound to cause an "accident". "We need to control our mind. If you accelerate speed unnecessarily, we can meet with an accident. This has happened earlier," he said, referring to the snapping of the alliance between Sena and BJP before 2014 Assembly poll.

Uddhav, however, expressed confidence that the BJP-Sena alliance will be able to provide a better administration to people of Maharashtra if it comes to power again in the state. Asked about the protest launched by Shiv Sena over crop insurance, Uddhav said that his party is committed to work for the benefits of the common people and will keep doing so in future too. "When the government publicises its achievements, the work done is seen on the ground. I will continue to highlight peoples’ issues before the government," he said.

Explaining the reason behind his party's decision to forge an alliance with the BJP, Uddhav said that it has been done for the development of Maharashtra. "I compromised for the sake of the state. I am confident we can provide good administration and governance in next five years based on the previous experience," he said.

The Sena chief said that his party played the role of opposition on several issues. "I am against misuse of power and politics of revenge. Don't know about the ED. But misuse of CBI is not new. You reap what you sow."