Ready to join hands with protectors of freedom: Uddhav Thackeray

Former Maharashtra chief minister Uddhav Thackeray who heads a faction of the Shiv Sena on Sunday alleged that the country was moving towards dictatorship and said he was ready to join hands with anyone who protect freedomThackeray said this during an event where he shared the stage with Dr B R Ambedkars grandson Prakash Ambedkar chief of the Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi VBA for the first time and hinted at joining hands with himThe two leaders were together at the launch of Prabhodhankarcom a digital platform to highlight the work of Thackerays grandfather Prabhodhankar Keshav Sitaram ThackeraySpeaking on the occasion Thackeray said The country is moving towards dictatorship There is a need to throw out people who are greedy for power I am willing to join hands with those who want to protect freedomAt present the British policy of divideandrule is being followed he saidThackeray described Prakash Ambedkar as a person full of knowledge and informationThe Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government led by Thackeray collapsed in June this year following a revolt by Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and 39 other MLAs of the party Shinde became the chief minister after his faction joined hands with the Bharatiya Janata Party BJP to form a government in the stateThackeray said he and Ambedkar were ideologically on the same platform and would work togetherAlso Read Uddhavled factions office in Thane razed as part of antiencroachment driveIf we dont come together we have no right to take our grandfathers names he saidTargeting the BJP Thackeray said In the present times lynching takes place if cow meat is found but at the same time rapists and murderers are acquitted and felicitated after release and given tickets to contest elections This is not HindutvaHe was apparently referring to the release of all 11 life term convicts in the Bilkis Bano case of the 2002 riots in Gujarat in August this year and the BJPs move of fielding the daughter of a postGodhra Naroda Patiya massacre case convict from Naroda seat of Ahmedabad for the upcoming Assembly electionsThackeray also questioned Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju over his remarks on the functioning of the Supreme Court collegium and wondered if that was his personal view or that of the governmentRijiju had recently said that the present collegium system through which judges are appointed is opaque and said the fittest persons should be appointed as judges and not someone whom the collegium knowsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever