Why NDA needs 36 parties, when it has ED, income tax, CBI: Thackeray

Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray came down on the BJP’s alleged deployment of central agencies on its political rivals.

Thackeray lampooned the BJP that the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the income tax department are the “three strong parties” of the ruling alliance.

In an interview with the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, Thackery said ‘After many years, I learnt that the amoeba called NDA is still alive in this country’.

Talking to his party’s Rajya Sabha MP and publication’s the executive editor Sanjay Raut, Thackeray termed PM Modi’s convening of NDA as an attempt to counter Opposition’s INDIA.

‘ In order to counter the alliance of patriotic leaders of the country, which is called INDIA, our Prime Minister suddenly convened a meeting of 36 parties (part of the BJP-led NDA).’, he said.

He ridiculed the BJP’s alliance that it did not need 36 parties, because three parties namely ED, income tax and CBI are strong enough.

He pointed out that BJP’s old allies like Shiv Sena, Akali Dal already left NDA.

In the meeting convened by PM Modi on July 18, the leaders of the 36 parties showed up.

On the other hand, the Opposition held a meeting of 26 parties in Bengaluru where those including NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) and others decided to work together.

Meanwhile, Thackeray attacked the BJP administration for the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur, asking why PM Modi is not visiting the state.

‘I am mentioning Manipur again and again because Manipur is a part of our country. I fear that Manipur is on the verge of breaking away (from the country). The double-engine (BJP) government has failed in Manipur,’ Thackeray was quoted as saying.