Maharashtra polls: Uddhav claims officials checked his bag ahead of rally

Yavatmal: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Monday claimed his bag was inspected by government authorities when he arrived in Maharashtra's Yavatmal to campaign for the November 20 assembly elections.

The former chief minister asked if the election authorities would also inspect the bags of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders.

Thackeray shared this experience while addressing a public meeting at Wani in Yavatmal for Shiv Sena (UBT) candidate Sanjay Derkar.

The Sena (UBT) chief said when he arrived in Wani by a helicopter, his bag was inspected by several government authorities.

He asked his party workers and voters to also inspect the pockets and identity cards of the officials who check them.

Thackeray said he was not miffed with the election authorities but added, "You are following your responsibility and I will perform my responsibility." "The way you inspected my bag, did you inspect bags of Modi and Shah?" he asked.

Shouldn't the bags of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Devendra Fadnavis be checked? he sought to know.

"All these useless things are going on, I don't consider it as democratic, this can't be democracy. In a democracy, no one is big or small," said Thackeray.

He said if the election authorities do not inspect their bags (of the senior ruling alliance leaders), then workers of the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the opposition MVA will check them.

The police and the Election Commission should not intervene as voters also have the right to check their bags (senior leaders of the ruling parties) when they come for campaigning, he added.