Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray hits out at Sharad Pawar for only fielding family members

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday accused Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar of only thought of his family while distributing tickets for the Lok Sabha elections. Thackeray was addressing a campaign rally in the Maval constituency of Maharashtra, where the NCP has fielded Parth Pawar, Sharad Pawar’s grand-nephew and senior party leader Ajit Pawar’s son. While Sharad Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule is seeking re-election from Baramati. Parth Pawar is facing Shiv Sena’s Shrirang Barne in Maval.

“If not me, my son. If not son, my nephew. Do others have no children?” the Sena chief said. “In Satara, we fielded son of a Mathadi (head-loader) worker,” he added.

Terming Bangladesh an “enemy”, he said late Sena patriarch Bal Thackeray had called for Bangladeshis to be kicked out of the country.

“(West) Bengal has many artists. However, Mamata Banerjee has to call artists from outside. Will you vote for those who call artists from Bangladesh to win elections?” he asked, referring to a Bangladeshi actor allegedly campaigning for the Trinamool Congress.

The NDA has resolved to abolish Article 370 of the Constitution which gives special status to Jammu and Kashmir, and ensure that anti-nationals “get hanged” through the sedition law, Thackeray said.