Express News Service
MUMBAI: Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray broke his silence over the Enforcement Directorate’s seizure of Rs 6.5 crore worth of his brother-in-law Shreedhar Patankar’s assets in a 2017 money-laundering case by defying them to first jail him.
“I openly appeal to the BJP that if they want power, I am ready to join them. But the BJP should first put me in jail on allegations they are making. I will not join BJP for power but to fulfil their ill-minded wish. BJP should stop targeting my family and Shiv Sainiks who saved people’s lives during the 1993 riot,” Uddhav said.
“If BJP wants to fight us, they should come out in the open, not use agencies to target families. This is neither brave nor masculine. We never targeted anyone’s family members. We never brought out your family’s issues in public,” the Maharashtra CM added.
He further reminded that when many in the BJP wanted to remove a leader (Narendra Modi), Balasaheb Thackeray stood by him. “What are we getting in return for supporting these people? What answer will you give to Balasaheb Thackeray?” Uddhav asked.
He said in Ramayana, Ravan’s life was concentrated in his nabhi – navel. It was the same with BJP, their life is also in Mumbai even though they are ruling at the Centre.
He charged there is an undeclared emergency in the country.
“India Gandhi imposed the emergency but today in our country there is an undeclared emergency. The central agencies are being misused to target the opponents. BJP leaders first make the allegations, the ED takes action. So, BJP leaders are more powerful than the ED,” Thackeray said.
Uddhav also defended Nawab Malik who was arrested in a money-laundering case allegedly linked to the D-company. He said that if Devendra Fadnavi’s morning swearing-in experiment had succeeded, then today Nawab Malik and Anil Deshmukh would have been cabinet colleagues of Fadnavis.
“We are not sharing power with the BJP. Therefore, we are deliberately targeted. When we were with the BJP, no one raised any issues and questions,” he said.
Thackeray also pointed out that former Congress leader Harshvardhan Patil said after joining the BJP that he sleeps soundly since he doesn’t fear the ED anymore.
“So, if you join the BJP, you get a sleeping pill. Patil has openly said it and admitted also that ED doesn’t take action against any BJP leaders. The power has been misused to target opponents. Actually, it should be used for the development work,” Thackeray said.
