We also have your ‘horoscope’ too, Uddhav warns Modi

Mumbai (IANS): In a sharp reaction to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's warning to Congressmen that he had prepared dossiers on them, Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday warned that even he had Modi's "horoscope".

"Everybody who is born has a 'janam patrika' (horoscope). The PM must not forget this. Even we have his 'janam kundli'. Have they forgotten how he survived after the Godhra communal carnage? It was because my late father, Bal Thackeray stood solidly behind him," he said.

Interacting with a select group of senior media persons at his residence 'Matoshri' here, Thackeray spoke on a wide range of issues, including relations with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), its ally in both Maharashtra and the Centre, though he unilaterally snapped ties on January 26.

Criticising Modi, Thackeray said that "never before has any Indian Prime Minster stooped to such levels" in politics.

"All he does is mock and ridicule leaders of other parties but now people are tired of this. During the 2014 Maharashtra Assembly Elections, he addressed 27 rallies in this state. So I demanded he should come here even for the BMC elections," he said.

Alleging that they (BJP leaders) are "liars, who are not interesting in anything but grabbing power", Thackeray said this was the reason he decided to break the alliance with the BJP for the civic polls and would henceforth fight all elections independently.

Asked how the Shiv Sena continued with the ruling alliance in Centre and Maharashtra, he countered: "Have they asked us to get out? If they don't like us, they can leave.

But they are stuck. We will decide our future course after the civic elections here." He recalled how, with the blessings of people like his late father Bal Thackeray and late BJP leaders Pramod Mahajan and Gopinath Munde, the alliance between the two parties was finalised and it grew from strength to strength.

"At that time, my father decided that to prevent a split in the Hindu votes, the BJP would concentrate at the Central level and Shiv Sena at the State level. It worked fine. But, now, the BJP wants to grab everything - the Centre, State, civic bodies and all else," he said.

Looking back at the past few years, it would have been much better if the Shiv Sena had gone alone, as it would have emerged into a major national political force in the past 25 years, he said.

Touching on allegations by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on transparency in administration and a corruption-free government, Thackeray sarcastically said first he should look within and at his own partymen.