Uddhav Thackeray interview: ‘Fadnavis said he would groom Aaditya as CM and move to Delhi. They made me look like a liar to my people’

Maharashtra is a critical piece of the election puzzle this time — since the last Lok Sabha election of 2019, the traditional “communal vs secular” battlelines have been rearranged beyond recognition, after Shiv Sena and NCP splintered, and both government and Opposition were reconstituted. On the Opposition side, an unlikely alliance has taken shape — between Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray and the NCP (SP) led by Sharad Pawar. At Matoshri in the leafy Mumbai enclave of Kalanagar, a day ahead of the first phase of polling, The Indian Express caught up with Uddhav Thackeray, the man who is most in the spotlight. He is seen to have borne the brunt of the political disruption, with the bulk of his MLAs migrating to the Shiv Sena led by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, which formed the government with the BJP; he has cast his lot with his “secular” opponent, and is now fighting his old “Hindutva” ally. Excerpts from an interview:

Congress cadre bikhra hua tha (was fragmented), it has been energised. Till 2023, people were afraid to speak, not any more. Now they feel democracy is in danger. If Rahul or I come out, people think someone is there (against the BJP), they also find courage to speak against jhoothe vaade (false promises).

I was watching a YouTube video yesterday, in which a farmer was asked if he had got Rs 6000 (of PM-Kisan). He said that I pay Rs 1 lakh for fertiliser in a year, and 18 per cent, Rs 18,000 as GST. So I have got Rs 6,000 from the government, but the government owes me Rs 12,000. Earlier, dar ka mahaul tha (there was an atmosphere of fear). Now people think inko hara sakte hain (BJP can be defeated).

Everything has its time. If two years ago we had said dictatorship, people would not