Vultures want a bite of Mumbai: Uddhav Thackeray

Ahead of the BMC polls Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray accused the BJP of selling Mumbai and challenged Union home minister Amit Shah to try every tactic to beat the ruling party in the civic bodyAddressing party officebearers in Goregaon on Wednesday he dared the BJPrsquos strategists to try to divide people on the lines of community and religion ldquoPeople from all walks of life community and religion especially Muslims are with usrdquo he added ldquoIf you have guts tell your cronies here to take BMC and Assembly elections together in one month to see who the city voters preferrdquoThackeray claimed the BJP behaved like vultures ldquoThe vultures are roaming around the city They want a bite of the city they want to swallow it This isnrsquot new it has been happening for yearsrdquo he said adding that several people have laid down their lives to keep Mumbai with MaharashtraAlso read Shiv Senas ties with Mumbai unbreakable Uddhav ThackerayldquoMany Shahs have attacked this country There is one from the same family who has asked his party workers to ground the Sena But he doesnrsquot know that the grass here is also like a sword If you come marching at us we will send you to the skiesrdquo he stated furtherHe was consistent in referring to the rebel Sena group as lsquoMindhe Grouprsquo under obligation ldquoI will cut through them at the Dusserha rally which will happen at Shivaji Park at any costrdquo he said preparing his party to go ahead with the venue even if they are denied permission to use it for the partyrsquos annual rally on October 5The former CM said the BJP always treated Mumbai as a land parcel that can be sold ldquoBut for us it is our motherland There are some children Shinde group who are out to sell the mother They should understand that any such attempt will make us cut open their guts in politicsrdquoHe said the then BJP Jan Sangh had broken away from the joint committee during the united Maharashtra agitation for electoral gains ldquoSadly we had an alliance with them and gave them everything though they did nothing substantial I would repeat here that we rotted for 25 years in the alliancerdquo Thackeray appealed to party workers to take his governmentsmdashstate and in the BMCmdashto every doorstep adding that he did not advertise his governmentrsquos achievements as the BJP did in bringing the cheetahs He accused the BJP of plotting to finish the Thackeray familyrsquos legacy ldquoI hear that the PM will be in the city So see what kind of the BMC election it will behelliprdquoThackeray Sena goes to HC on Shivaji ParkThe Uddhav Thackerayled Shiv Sena faction moved the Bombay High Court on Wednesday seeking permission to hold its Dussehra rally at Shivaji Park after waiting for permission from the BMC A bench posted it for a hearing on Thursday ldquoWe filed a petition praying to the high court to grant permission if the BMC does not do so Since 1966 the Shiv Sena has been conducting rallies at Shivaji Park There are notifications of the state government allowing Shiv Sena to hold rallies there There is nothing new Previous orders of the court have directed BMC to grant permissionrdquo said advocate for the Thackerayled faction Joel Carlos The petition was mentioned before a division bench headed by Justice R D Dhanuka on Wednesday On August 22 the Thackerayled Shiv Sena had applied to BMCto reserve Shivaji Park on October 5 for its Dussehra rally Before BMC decided on this the Shinde group applied to reserve Shivaji Park on Dussehra