Devendra Fadnavis's allegation on Bharat Jodo Yatra shows Centre's failure on terror front: Aaditya Thackeray

Pic/PTI

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday claimed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's allegation made in the context of the Congress's Bharat Jodo Yatra showed the Centre's failure in not knowing about terrorists operating in the country, reported news agency PTI.

Fadnavis had on Thursday alleged that some organisations, which were declared as the frontal organisations of urban Naxals by the Congress-NCP government in Maharashtra and the Manmohan Singh government at the Centre, participated in the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

Talking to reporters on the Vidhan Bhavan premises, Thackeray said the attack on the Congress's office in Mumbai came about after Union Home Minister Amit Shah's remark on Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar.

Bharatiya Janata Party Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers on Thursday vandalised a Congress office in Mumbai, claiming the grand old party had always insulted Ambedkar.

A massive political row erupted on Wednesday after the Congress and other opposition parties launched an all-out attack on Shah for his remarks on Ambedkar and demanded his sacking, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top BJP leaders rallied to his defence and said he has exposed Congress' "anti-Ambedkar" stand.

"I don't think the offices should have been attacked. The Home Minister should accept that what was in his heart came out of his mouth and apologise," the Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA said, reported PTI.

He said the first information report against Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over the scuffle at the Parliament was a "diversionary tactic".

"These are all diversionary tactics, but I don't think Rahul ji or any one of us is afraid. You can file FIRs against us we are not afraid. We demand that he (Shah) should resign as Home Minister because he insulted Dr Ambedkar," Thackeray said, reported PTI.

He further said Fadnavis's claim about the Bharat Jodo Yatra only showed the Union Home Ministry's failure to have knowledge about terrorists in the country.

"I want to make it clear that he (Fadnavis) was not levelling allegations against the Congress, NCP (SP), or any other outfit or Bharat Jodo Yatra. He only wanted to say that the Union Home Ministry has failed in the last 10 years or two and half years. Because, if he has this information about so many terrorists operating in our country or outside the country and the Home Minister does not know it, then his (Fadnavis) allegations are directly against the Home Minister and not the Yatra," Thackeray said, reported PTI.

The Shiv Sena (UBT) leader said an attack on a Marathi-speaking family in Kalyan of Thane district was agonising.

He claimed that issues of Marathi and non-Marathi-speaking people have come up in housing societies since the Mahayuti government came to power in the state.

Thackeray demanded the cancellation of occupational certificates (OC) to builders who deny homes to Marathi-speaking people in their housing societies.

(With inputs from PTI)