Mumbai, Jan 13 (NationPress) As the campaigning for the critical elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) wraps up on Tuesday evening, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has launched a fierce counter-offensive against the newly reunited Thackeray brothers under the banners of Marathi Manus and Save Mumbai.

The BJP’s rebuttal has been chiefly driven by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Union Minister Piyush Goyal, centering around dismissive rhetoric, a focus on development, and questioning the Thackeray alliance's credibility.

In response to accusations of a "conspiracy to divide Mumbai", Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and senior BJP figures have characterized the Thackeray narrative as a "desperate act of political survival".

He branded their assertion—that the BJP aims to detach Mumbai from Maharashtra—as a "false narrative" meant to mislead the electorate. "The real threat is not to Mumbai; it lies in your (Thackerays') political survival," CM Fadnavis asserted, contending that the cousins have "no developmental achievements to showcase" and are resorting to emotional manipulation.

Union Minister Piyush Goyal derided the alliance, asserting that "zero plus zero equals zero," implying that the combined influence of the Shiv Sena Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray (UBT) and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) would not alter the Mahayuti’s prospects. Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis showcased past video footage of Uddhav and Raj Thackeray at a Mahayuti joint rally, where they attacked one another during their two-decade estrangement, to underline the opportunistic nature of their current alliance.

To counter claims of favoritism towards a "single corporate house" and accusations of "cronyism", CM Fadnavis presented a list of 25 industrial entities that expanded by 250 percent to 1,100 percent under the current regime, framing it as national economic advancement rather than cronyism. He added that this progress is part of India's ascent to becoming the world’s third-largest economy.

The chief minister accused Uddhav Thackeray of "compromising the Hindutva legacy" of Bal Thackeray by previously forming an alliance with the Congress party, while he maintained that for the BJP, Marathi pride and Hindutva are inseparable. The BJP also sought to neutralize Thackeray's "Marathi Manus" appeal by making a bold electoral commitment. The Mahayuti has explicitly pledged that the next Mumbai Mayor will be a Marathi Hindu, effectively challenging the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s hold on Marathi identity.

Furthermore, CM Fadnavis and Union Minister Goyal reiterated that the BJP regards North Indians and other communities who have resided in Mumbai for generations as "100 percent Mumbaikars", contrasting this with the "divisive" politics of the MNS.

The campaign has also witnessed personal barbs, notably Raj Thackeray’s "Rasmalai" jab directed at BJP leader K. Annamalai. The BJP responded by labeling the comment as "ignorant" and "anti-growth", with Annamalai challenging the Thackeray brothers to concentrate on the city's future rather than dwell on historical grievances.

(Sanjay Jog can be contacted at sanjay.j@ians.in)