Raj Thackeray takes dig at BJP's 'Save Democracy' protest, says party still has opposition mindset

Raj Thackeray questioned why a ruling party needed to hold a `Save Democracy` protest. File Pic

Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its 'Save Democracy, Remove Anarchy' protest, saying the party had failed to move beyond its opposition mindset despite being in power, reported the PTI.

Raj Thackeray also took a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his social media post mocking the Congress following the Maharashtra Legislative Council election results last month. He said leaders holding power should not react to every political development.

Speaking at an event, the MNS chief questioned the BJP's decision to organise a protest under the banner of saving democracy while being part of the ruling establishment, the news agency reported.

'BJP has not come out of opposition mentality'

"The BJP has not come out of the opposition mentality, while the Congress has still not realised how an opposition party should act. They have only started to realise it after five years," Raj Thackeray said, according to the PTI.

Taking a sarcastic swipe at the BJP's call to save democracy and the Constitution, he compared it to the old man depicted in the KFC logo asking people to save chickens.

Thackeray questioned why a ruling party needed to hold a 'Save Democracy' protest.

Raj Thackeray criticises PM Modi's post targeting Congress

Thackeray also criticised PM Modi for mocking the Congress on social media after the party's poor initial performance in the Legislative Council elections, as per the PTI.

The Prime Minister had taken a dig at the Congress following its disappointing show in the polls, which were conducted using paper ballots - a key demand raised by opposition parties campaigning against electronic voting machines (EVMs).

However, the electoral trends subsequently changed, with the Congress winning the Nagpur Graduates' constituency seat.

Thackeray said he could not recall any previous Prime Minister making similar remarks targeting the Opposition. He added that those in power should exercise restraint rather than respond to every political development.

Drawing a comparison with an earlier episode in Maharashtra politics, Raj Thackeray recalled an exchange between Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray and noted Marathi author PL Deshpande.

Deshpande, the first recipient of the Maharashtra Bhushan Award, had criticised the use of muscle power, or 'thokshahi', instead of democratic processes.

In response, Balasaheb Thackeray had reportedly said that the then Shiv Sena-BJP government had made a mistake by honouring Deshpande. He also suggested that the author should not have accepted the award if he disagreed with the Sena's methods, the news agency reported.

Raj Thackeray pointed out that even his uncle's response at the time reflected the mindset of an opposition party.

(with PTI inputs)