Eknath Shinde slams Uddhav Thackeray over opposition to Waqf Bill, calls him a ‘use and throw’ leader

Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, Shinde said that Thackeray’s opposition to the Bill had disappointed even his colleagues, many of whom still hold Balasaheb’s principles dear. “Yesterday was an unfortunate day for him,” he remarked, alluding to Thackeray’s political missteps.

Shinde said the Shiv Sena (UBT) boss’s claim that his opposition to the Bill has nothing to do with Hindutva but is merely a stand against the BJP’s alleged hypocrisy revealed his ideological instability. “His condition is such that if he holds on to something, it bites him; if he lets it go, it runs away,” the Sena leader said.

Shinde said that Balasaheb Thackeray had always distinguished between “nationalist” Muslims and anti-national elements, a stance that he said the Shiv Sena and the BJP had consistently upheld. He then accused Uddhav Thackeray of parroting Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s rhetoric under Rahul Gandhi’s influence.

“The ground beneath his feet is slipping. His press conference today was nothing more than a desperate attempt at damage control,” Shinde said.

Shinde said the Waqf Amendment Bill is designed to prevent illegal misappropriation of waqf properties and to ensure that poor Muslims benefit.

Reaffirming his party’s unwavering commitment to Hindutva, Shinde declared that the Shiv Sena remained true to Balasaheb Thackeray and Dharmaveer Anand Dighe’s vision. “We will never compromise on these principles. What Uddhav Thackeray has done today is an even bigger betrayal than his alliance with the Congress and the NCP in 2019,” he said.

Shinde sarcastically asked whether Uddhav Thackeray’s initials UT now stands for “use and throw”.

“For two and a half years, he kept criticising while we kept working. But in the elections, the people locked him in a box. He should now allow us to work peacefully, or else I have a lot to reveal—don’t get me talking,” he said.