Uddhav left 'saffron', public won't forgive him: BJP leader Chandrakant Bawankule

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Maharashtra Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) head Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Sunday said people will not forgive Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray because "he left bhagwa (saffron) and distanced himself from the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj".

Bawankule's remarks came a day after Thackeray, while addressing Sena (UBT) workers in Thane, accused Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde of "bowing" before Delhi, and said that the coming Assembly elections are a fight against those who "hate" the state.

The former CM also said that his party workers were his 'wagh-nakh, and he was not afraid of 'Abdali'.

Last month, Thackeray dubbed BJP leader Amit Shah as 'Ahmed Shah Abdali' after the Union Home Minister accused him of being the head of the 'Aurangzeb fan club'.

The 'wagh-nakh' or tiger-claw, a hand-held weapon, is said to have been used by Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj when he killed Bijapur sultanate general Afzal Khan in 1659. The weapon is currently on display at a museum in Satara.

In a social media post on X, Bawankule said, "Aurangzeb fan club leader Uddhav Thackeray went to Thane and made a lot of noise about making BJP Ram-Mukt but it will not be possible for you even in this lifetime."

"People have not forgotten the green flags in Thackeray's rallies. A group of Muslims have protested outside his residence Matoshree demanding why is he not supporting the Waqf Board when they voted for him in large numbers and helped in the election of nine members of his party to the Lok Sabha," said Bawankule.

He also accused Thackeray of leaving the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and carrying the "palanquin of Aurangzeb's successors" as well as abandoning "bhagwa" (saffron).

"This is the beginning of your downfall. For personal gain, you forgot pujya Balasaheb, the public will not forgive you," he said.

Speaking to reporters, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut quipped, "Abdali enjoys that Marathi people are fighting with each other."

"These people have taken contracts from Abdali," Raut claimed without naming anyone.

(With inputs from PTI)