Mumbai, Oct 9 (PTI) Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday said that by cancelling trains and metros ahead of the CJP protest in Delhi, the central government appears to impose a ‘Bharat Bandh’, and described the atmosphere as “emergency-like”.
Asserting that his party had no differences with the Congress and its anger was directed solely at the CEC, Thackeray maintained that the opposition parties were united in their fight against alleged irregularities in electoral rolls.
He accused Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar of indulging in electoral irregularities, and said he should not only resign, but also face trial and go to jail.
If the CEC fails to step down, protests against him would intensify and spread across the country, the Sena (UBT) MLA said.
“Our anger is only against Gyanesh Kumar. Neither are we upset with the Congress, nor is the Congress upset with us,” Thackeray said while responding to questions about the absence of some opposition leaders in Delhi from the protests led by Congress.
“Trains are cancelled, the metro is cancelled. It looks as if the ruling party has called for a Bharat Bandh. There is an emergency-like atmosphere…This situation exists because they want to save the traitor gang, and we are fighting against it. You will see this street protest intensifying at different places,” he said.
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) will hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on October 10 to demand the resignation of Gyanesh Kumar. On the eve of the agitation, the railway authorities cancelled several trains to and from Delhi, with the opposition parties targeting the government over the move.
Thackeray said his party was not targeting the BJP but was questioning the functioning of the CEC.
Why is the BJP getting upset when questions were raised about elections, he said, urging it to introspect.
“We are not targeting the BJP. We are targeting Gyanesh Kumar. The main question is, why does the BJP get so agitated when something is said about elections? The BJP should introspect and ask itself this question,” he said.
Thackeray alleged that the electoral rolls contained discrepancies, with genuine voters missing and suspected duplicate or multiple entries remaining. He said his party had identified around five lakh suspected ghost voters so far and was examining the matter in greater detail.
“If these voters cast their votes in the 2024 assembly elections and their names are on the BMC voter list, then during the SIR, their names should either appear in the draft electoral roll or in the list of deletions. They are in neither list. Where has this invisibility cloak come from?” he asked.
He said the party had begun marking the names and would conduct a door-to-door verification exercise. It would also examine the social and economic backgrounds of the voters, their localities, polling booths and constituencies to establish whether there was a pattern.
Thackeray alleged that genuine voters, including people who had lived in their localities for decades, had found their names missing from the rolls.
He said the party would bring its findings before the public.
Demanding Kumar’s resignation, Thackeray said the issue was not limited to his removal from office.
“He should not only resign. There should be a trial against him, and he should go to jail,” he said.
Thackeray also questioned the government’s response to protests, asking why young people, including those aged 15 and 16, were being detained.
“Why is the regime so afraid? You are pulling young people out of trains and detaining them. What is the government so afraid of?” he asked.
He said the resignation of former Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan had given people the confidence to question the government and speak about local problems.
Thackeray said the Shiv Sena (UBT) had participated in earlier opposition protests and marches, alongside the Congress, the NCP and other INDIA bloc allies. He said his party had also communicated its support for the latest protest in writing.
Explaining why his party MPs could not take part in the protests in Delhi, he said travel disruptions had affected their arrival. He said one party MP Raja Waze was attending the United Nations General Assembly, while Sanjay Raut was travelling in Maharashtra and Arvind Sawant was in Mumbai.
Thackeray warned that the political atmosphere would continue to heat up if no action was taken.
“If he doesn’t resign, you will see protests at various places,” he said.
Thackeray also demanded the resignation of Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC) chairman Vivek Bhimanwar over alleged irregularities, asking why he was clinging to his post despite the students’ agitation.
“I want to ask Bhimanwar…Why are you testing the limits of the students’ patience? Why are you clinging to your chair? These students are protesting even as their families are in drought-hit areas. They have to look after their parents and farms, worry about their studies and examinations, and yet are forced to agitate against you. Instead of bringing disrepute upon yourself, step aside. The CM is your friend; take up another post, whatever you can manage, but at least step down from this position,” Thackeray said.
Thackeray claimed that nearly 7.9 lakh voters were missing from revised figures provided by the Election Commission, and alleged that the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) had failed to rectify existing errors. PTI MR NP
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