In a shocking statement today, the CM of Maharashtra and Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray went on to liken the 2008 Mumbai terror attack to the incident of violence inside the JNU premises last night, in which a mob of masked miscreants, now reported as mostly leftist goons, had unleashed large-scale violence inside the campus leaving several students gravely injured.
Reacting to the JNU incident, Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said: “I was watching reports on TV and the attack on JNU students on Sunday night reminded me of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. Students are feeling unsafe in the country…I will not tolerate anything like that happens here in Maharashtra.”
The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11) were a series of terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, a terrorist organisation based in Pakistan, had carried out 12 coordinated shooting and bombing attacks lasting for days across Mumbai. At least 174 people had died, including 9 attackers, and more than 300 were wounded in the ghastly incident.
Responding to this shocking statement, the 26/11 victims have now expressed complete dismay over Uddhav Thackeray’s irresponsive remark.
According to an India Today’s report, one of the 2008 Mumbai blast victim, Devika Rotavan, now a student at Siddharth College, had suffered severe bullet injuries at CSMT in 2008, slammed the Maharashtra CM saying that she feels comparing this politically motivated incident with terrorism against the country trivialises the attack.
“The two incidents cannot be compared. Those were suicide attackers who came from outside the country. They did not just kill civilians but policemen and an NSG commando. At least 166 people were killed in that incident. They did not cover their faces. Here these are our own people who have attacked. This cannot be called a terror act as lethal as 26/11.”
One Baby Chowdhary, the wife of another victim who has been bed-ridden since he was hit in the Vile Parle taxi blast said: “Eleven years have passed, I am still suffering. It sends shivers down my spine when I remember that incident. It is wrong to compare this incident to the 26/11 terror attack. The terrorists came from outside and waged a war against our country. The incident in JNU cannot be compared to 26/11 at all.”
BJP MLA Ram Kadam also tore into Uddhav Thackeray saying: “The incident of JNU is very unfortunate and we condemn it. But the way Maharashtra chief minister has compared the JNU incident is unfortunate. JNU was not an attack by terrorists but it is because of the impact of Congress politics that the political leaders of Shiv Sena are speaking like this. It is very unfortunate.”
Uddhav Thackeray’s party, the Shiv Sena, had recently broken off from the NDA and had joined hands with Congress and NCP to grab the CM’s post in Maharashtra.
It’s appalling that though shocking revelations showing Congress connection to the violence that broke out on JNU campus on Sunday evening surfaced today, it’s alliance partner, Shiv Sena’s chief Uddhav Thackeray, pretended to remain completely oblivious to the fact.
