Uddhav Thackeray slams BJP govt over US tariffs, foreign policy

Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at the Modi government over rising US tariffs, alleged foreign policy failures, and ties with Pakistan and China. He questioned the PM’s silence on key issues and accused the BJP of weakening democracy and ignoring national crises

New Delhi: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led central government, claiming that the United States’ decision to impose a 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods is a direct fallout of India’s failed foreign policy and will severely impact the common man.

“Trump is making a mockery of India. But there is no response from our side. Who is running the country’s government? Our country needs a Prime Minister, Defence Minister, Foreign Minister, and Home Minister. They are all from the BJP. This government is a failure, unsuccessful, and helpless. It has no foreign policy,” Thackeray said at a press conference here.

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His statement comes after the United States announced 25 per cent additional tariffs on Indian exports on Wednesday, which raises the total tariff to over 50 per cent.

Thackeray said that when the Pahalgam attack happened, PM Modi went to Bihar. “A Prime Minister would have gone to Pahalgam. He is a propaganda PM. A true Prime Minister would have gone to Pahalgam. He is not merely representing the BJP, Thackeray added.

Thackeray, who is on a three-day visit to New Delhi to meet the INDIA bloc leaders and attend the dinner hosted by Rahul Gandhi, alleged the government has no ethics. “Pakistan is our enemy. We had stopped matches in Delhi and Mumbai. We said that the match should not be played until Pakistan stops its terrorist activities. Even Sushma Swaraj had supported this. They are mean people. Children of ministers like Jay Shah are going to Dubai to watch Pakistan’s match. This cannot be patriotic. If we want to define patriotism, a true patriot should not have any relations with Pakistan,” he said.

Thackeray stated that the time has come to decide who is India’s friend and who is not. “There is no country in the world where PM Modi has not gone. Our struggle with Pakistan is going on. It has been revealed that China is helping Pakistan,” he said.

Thackeray also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for visiting China at a time when, according to him, India is facing mounting diplomatic hostility.

“India had boycotted Chinese companies. So why is PM going now to China? Why is India playing cricket with Pakistan? What will Amit Shah and Modi say to those who have wiped out the vermilion of mothers and sisters? The country needs a Prime Minister and a Home Minister,” he said, adding that when there is a crisis, PM Modi and HM Amit Shah disappear.

He said that Manipur is still burning, but these people (referring to the BJP) are only busy engineering splits in various political parties.

On the controversy over the Special Summary Revision (SSR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, Thackeray asked whether the government had implemented an undeclared version of CAA-NRC. He said that the Election Commission is telling the citizens to prove their identity, adding that the CAA-NRC was going to be implemented in the same way. Thackeray said that the Election Commission should respond to the doubts raised by political parties and citizen organisations.

On the State Election Commission’s announcement of not using VVPAT in the local and civic body elections in Maharashtra, Thackeray asked — what is the point of holding elections if there is no transparency.

Responding to the questions on the INDIA bloc, Thackeray said there is no confusion or tension in it. On the alliance between Shiv Sena (UBT) and Raj Thackeray-led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, Thackeray said, “Raj and I are more than capable of making decisions ourselves. We don’t need a third party.”