Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Apr 5: Maharashtra BJP president and Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, accusing him of straying from the legacy of his father, Balasaheb Thackeray, by opposing the Waqf Amendment Bill.

Addressing the media, Bawankule alleged that Thackeray’s stance was driven by vote-bank politics ahead of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. “His position on the Bill is not acceptable even to his own party workers. Many Shiv Sainiks are upset and are thinking of quitting. His Sena won’t survive for another year,” Bawankule remarked.

He further claimed that opposing the Bill amounted to a “serious offence” and said Uddhav Thackeray had lost touch with the ground reality.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, defending the Bill, said it embodies the secular and democratic principles of the Constitution. “The Waqf Board had become a tool of appeasement politics. It failed to help the minority community and was instead misused to grab land. The largest Waqf land scam in Maharashtra happened under Congress rule,” he alleged.

Fadnavis added that the amendments aim to ensure transparency, empower Muslim women through representation on the Waqf Board, and open the Board’s actions to judicial scrutiny — which was previously restricted.

Taking the attack further, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the other faction of the Shiv Sena, accused Thackeray of abandoning Hindutva. “By opposing the Bill, Uddhavji has revealed that power matters more to him than public welfare. He has turned his back on Balasaheb’s ideals,” Shinde said.

The political war of words has intensified ahead of the BMC polls, with the Waqf Bill emerging as the latest flashpoint between the rival Shiv Sena factions and the ruling BJP.