Uddhav Thackeray's Bizarre Comparisons

Maharashtra chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has come to be known for his bizarre comparisons. Sometime ago, he compared the violence related to the protests against anti- Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) in Jamia Millia to the Jallianwala Bagh massacre. In a latest, on Monday afternoon, while speaking to the media, the Maharashtra chief Minister likened the violence in Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in the national capital on Sunday, to the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack.

Both the comparisons cited by the chief minister are evidently outlandish. It is not that the Maharashtra chief minister would be unaware of this. But this appears to be his way of getting back at the Sena's former ally, the BJP.

The Shiv Sena supremo has been attacked repeatedly in recent times by BJP leaders, particularly former chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis. The Sena chief was also accused of betrayal by the BJP for going in for a post-poll pact with the NCP and Congress.

Uddhav Thackeray became chief minister on November 28, 2019 after forming the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) coalition with the Congress and NCP. Earlier the Shiv Sena's talks with the BJP over power-sharing in Maharashtra collapsed after prolonged negotiations.

Thackeray's delay in distribution of portfolios in his Cabinet also made him a soft target for the BJP.

The fact that Shiv Sena did not get the best of bargains in the allocation of portfolios, with NCP landing the most important portfolios including finance and home, gave the BJP another handle to beat Thackeray's party with. The Shiv Sena chief is hitting back in his own style.