Aaditya Thackeray Claims Corruption Accused are Rewarded With Ministerial Posts by BJP

Aaditya Thackeray, the 35-year-old Leader of Shiv Sena (UBT) and son of Party Chief Uddhav Thackeray, has launched a sharp attack on the ruling Mahayuti alliance ahead of the crucial Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections. In an exclusive interview with Hindustan Times, Aaditya dismissed corruption allegations against his father and the party as baseless, asserting that if any truth existed in the claims, Sena (UBT) would still be allied with the BJP rather than in opposition.

Aaditya highlighted the widespread public frustration with the state government’s four-year delay in holding civic polls across 27 cities, including Mumbai. He described the period as marked by “mismanagement, plunder, and loot,” leading to a collapse of civic order. According to him, citizens are eager for a return to “normal” administration, which he defined as the style of governance associated with “Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray.” He pointed to the party’s 25-year track record of managing Mumbai effectively and emphasized that their campaign is built on past achievements and a forward-looking manifesto.

Responding to the BJP’s promise to remove Bangladeshi infiltrators from Mumbai, Aaditya questioned the timing and intent of the statement. “Is Chief Minister Fadnavis admitting that Prime Minister Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah have failed to stop infiltrators?” he asked, recalling that Fadnavis himself served as state home minister for nearly a decade. He accused the BJP of using the issue as a last-minute electoral tactic rather than addressing genuine governance failures.

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On the corruption charges leveled against Uddhav Thackeray, particularly related to Covid management and the Mithi River clean-up, Aaditya called them laughable. He argued that those accused of corruption—whether merely alleged or actually guilty—have been rewarded with high-ranking positions such as deputy chief minister and ministerial berths in the current government. “Because we are not guilty, we have not gone with them,” he stated, contrasting this with the BJP’s silence on issues like the PM Cares Fund, the Mumbai road scam, and a tunnel contract controversy exposed by the Supreme Court.

Aaditya also defended the party’s renewed focus on the “Marathi manoos” agenda in the BMC polls, clarifying that it is not a matter of Marathi versus non-Marathi but rather BJP versus Marathi interests. He alleged that under the BJP’s tenure, Marathi families have faced discrimination from builders who deny them housing due to their non-vegetarian dietary habits and cultural practices. Describing this as “ghettoization” and an injustice in Maharashtra’s capital, he framed the fight as one to protect the rights and dignity of the local Marathi community.

With campaigning concluding on Tuesday and the civic elections approaching, Aaditya’s remarks underscore Sena (UBT)’s strategy to position itself as the defender of Mumbai’s traditional governance model and Marathi identity while portraying the Mahayuti government as responsible for civic decline and selective accountability. The interview reflects the high stakes of the BMC polls, where control of Asia’s richest civic body remains a key battleground for political influence in Maharashtra.

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