Uddhav Thackeray takes a jibe at Centre, says 'We are friends of the Bharatiya Janata, not of any party'

It is just a month that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena have parted their ways, but the former allies are already at logger heads over several political issues across the country.

While the recent incident of mob-lynching in Rajasthan's Alwar took the country by storm, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray took a jibe at the Narendra Modi-led BJP government over growing instances of lynching.

Mocking the Bharatiya Janata Praty's name, Thackeray said, "We are a part of the government but if something is wrong, we will definitely talk about it. We are friends of the Bharatiya Janata, not of any party".

Criticising the Centre for its failed attempts to curb the cow-vigilantism, the Sena chief said, the 'BJP's idea of Hindutva was fake'.

Read | No-trust: Sena compares Modi to France, Rahul to Croatia

"In this country, cows are safe but women are not," Thackeray said while giving an interview to Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"In the name of saving the cow, if you are shifting focus to whether someone is eating beef or not, then it is a sham. This is not Hindutva. I do not accept the idea of Hindutva that is being adhered to in the country. Our women are unsafe and you are protecting cows," Thackeray added.

"We (Shiv Sena) never said cows should be slaughtered. But while protecting cows, India has become the most unsafe country for women. One should be ashamed of it. You want to save 'gau-mata' (cow) but what about 'mata' (mother)," he concluded.

In what could be a big blow for the Modi government, the Shiv Sena on June 7 announced that it will contest all upcoming elections on its own and won’t ally with the Saffron party.

Read | No-confidence motion in Parliament: Shiv Sena leaves BJP in dismal, skips no-trust vote debate

The announcement came a day after BJP president Amit Shah’s meeting with Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray at his residence in Mumbai to repair the strained ties with the disgruntled ally. Shah was accompanied by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during the meeting with Thackeray.