Does Fadnavis's call for 'dharma-yudh' of votes conform to code of conduct, asks Uddhav

Thane: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asked if the call for "dharma-yudh of votes" given by Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis does not violate the Model Code of Conduct of the Election Commission of India.

Addressing a campaign rally in Dombivli in the district ahead of the assembly polls, Thackeray said he was asked to remove the words "Jai Bhavani, Jai Shivaji" from his party's election anthem before the Lok Sabha elections, but he refused to do so.

"Devendra Fadnavis has given a call for "dharma-yudh of votes. I am asking the Election Commission, does dharma-yudh fit in with your Model Code of Conduct?" the former chief minister said.

Referring to a purported appeal by an Islamic scholar for a "vote-Jihad" against the Mahayuti government, Fadnavis, at a rally in Pune on Friday, had called for a "dharma-yudh of votes" to counter it.

Thackeray, meanwhile, also said that the BJP today is a "hybrid" full of opportunist leaders imported from outside.

"The BJP that grew due to the sacrifices of its workers who dedicated their lives to the organisation has now become a hybrid, a breeding ground for opportunistic politics," he said.

The vision of late party stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde has been undermined by the current leadership, said Thackeray, a former BJP ally who parted ways in 2019.

Drawing a contrast between his vision of Hindutva and the BJP's, he said, "Our Hindutva lights stoves in people's houses; the BJP's Hindutva burns them down."

He also expressed concern about the "Gujarati-Marathi divide."

Thackeray accused the BJP-led Union government of prioritizing corporate interests.

He alleged widespread corruption under the rule of the BJP and Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, accusing the two parties of looting municipal corporations in Thane district.