Criticises Pragya Singh Thakur for insulting Mumbai Police

Launching an attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for asking for votes in the name of martyred soldiers, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Wednesday said this election is to decide whether India will remain a democracy or turn into a dictatorship. He was addressing a rally in Bhandup.

Criticising the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for fielding Malegaon blast accused Pragya Singh Thakur in Bhopal, Mr. Thackeray questioned how the party could support someone who disrespected Mumbai’s police force, and in particular former ATS chief Hemant Karkare, who was killed in the 26/11 attacks.

“The woman was not jailed for breaking a traffic signal, but is accused of terror activities. She disrespected martyrs like Karkare, [Ashok] Kamte, [Vijay] Salaskar and [Tukaram] Ombale by saying it was her curse and not bullets of Pakistani terrorists that killed them. How can PM Narendra Modi support her? How can BJP president Amit Shah support her? How can the BJP come out in support of her?” Mr. Thackeray asked.

The MNS chief targeted Mr. Modi for failing to bring development to a village in Uttar Pradesh that he had adopted, and his home town of Vadnagar. He also showed video clips depicting the first two beneficiaries of the Centre’s flagship Ujjwala scheme, who have returned to using wood as fuel. “The government spent over ₹4,500 crore on advertisements. But no one is explaining why cylinder rates have climbed from ₹410 in 2014 to over ₹750 today.”

He said the BJP protested against these issues when in opposition, but isn’t ready to speak on them now.

“We have a man (Mr. Modi) who is asking for votes using the martyrdom of our jawans. No one is asking how the RDX entered Pulwama. The BJP was in power in Jammu and Kashmir with Mehbooba Mufti, and once the alliance broke, suddenly the Pulwama took place. The cautionary advisory for the transport of CRPF jawans was neglected,” Mr. Thackeray said.

He said the manner in which institutions in the country, like the Reserve Bank of India, Central Bureau of Investigation, and the judiciary, are being threatened, this election is a choice between democracy and dictatorship.