‘Apachan nama’, note with Bombay Scottish imprint: Mahayuti leaders slam Sena (UBT)-MNS manifesto

Mumbai, Jan 4 (PTI) Leaders from the BJP-led Mahayuti on Sunday criticised the manifesto released by the Shiv Sena (UBT) and the MNS for the upcoming BMC elections, terming it ‘apachan nama’, “farce” and a document with “imprint of Bombay Scottish”.

Earlier in the day, Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) president Raj Thackeray unveiled their poll manifesto, promising financial aid for house helps and women from the Koli community, 100 units of free electricity, strengthening of health, public transport and education infrastructure.

State minister and BJP leader Ashish Shelar accused the Thackeray cousins of making lofty promises, and said voters won’t be able to digest those.

“Listening to such assurances causes indigestion among people. Hence, this is not a ‘vachan nama’ (promise document) but an ‘apachan nama’ (indigestion note),” he said.

The BJP would soon place before the public a detailed account of alleged corruption when the undivided Shiv Sena controlled the BMC, he said. He appealed to voters not to fall for what he termed misleading promises, but to stand firmly with the BJP.

Meanwhile, speaking in Jalna, state revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule called the manifesto document a “farce” and a collection of “hollow promises”.

“People of Maharashtra have seen Uddhav Thackeray as chief minister and also his party’s rule in Mumbai (BMC) for the last 25 years. Despite being CM, he attended the assembly only twice,” Bawankule claimed.

Thackeray brothers are trying to raise emotive issues, but the public won’t be misled, he said.

Rahul Shewale of the rival Shiv Sena, a partner in the ruling Mahayuti alliance, said the poll promise document bears the stamp of Bombay Scottish, an elite Mumbai school, in an apparent reference to Aaditya Thackeray and Raj’s son Amit Thackeray, both alumni of the institution.

Addressing a news conference, Shewale said the poll manifesto excludes words like Hindu, Hindutva and Hinduhriday Samrat to appease a particular community.

The poll manifesto, which claims to focus on 'Marathi manoos', has 40 per cent English words. Using language other than Marathi is suppression of Marathi, he claimed.

The manifesto has a photograph of Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, but his soul is missing from it, Shewale claimed. The document is a “copy-paste” version of the poll promises made in 2017, he added. PTI PR ND COR NR