Yavatmal/Washim: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday launched one of his sharpest attacks on BJP, accusing it of surviving politically through “traitors” and alleging “even Lord Ram has been trapped among charlatans”.Addressing public meetings in Yavatmal and Washim during his Vidarbha tour, the UBT Sena chief targeted rebel Sena leaders, the Central govt and the faction led by Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, while positioning his party as the “original Shiv Sena”.At a rally held at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) premises in Yavatmal, Thackeray claimed BJP was moving towards a political system in which “only BJP membership will determine citizenship”, alleging Aadhaar, PAN and voter identity cards could eventually become irrelevant.“It is now time to free Ram from BJP,” Thackeray said while referring to alleged irregularities linked to the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He further alleged cash and silver bricks worth crores were missing from the temple, calling the episode “highly condemnable” and mocked BJP as the “Pakistan Janata Party”.The Sena (UBT) chief also accused BJP of engineering defections to secure political dominance. Referring to the rebellion led by Shinde, Thackeray said, “After 40 MLAs were taken away, now MPs are also being poached.” He alleged that leaders citing “development” as a reason for leaving the party were merely providing excuses, while BJP’s real objective was to acquire the numbers in Parliament to alter the Constitution.Addressing another gathering in Washim later in the evening, Thackeray described leaders who joined the Shinde-led Sena as “traitors”. “The party gave them everything, but they chose betrayal. The loyal workers who stayed with us are our real strength,” he said.He also challenged BJP’s narrative surrounding the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya, asserting the project materialised because of the Supreme Court verdict and not due to BJP’s efforts.Taking aim at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Thackeray questioned the Centre’s development claims. “If PM himself failed to deliver development in 12 years, what development can these defectors bring,” he asked. Drawing comparisons with former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee and veteran BJP leader L K Advani, he said they spent decades in the Opposition without abandoning their ideology. “Today, political flip-flops have become common,” he remarked.
