Prateek Tanmay
2 min readNagpurJul 18, 2026 09:45 PM IST
Launching the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s Ram Raksha Andolan from Nagpur on Saturday, party chief Uddhav Thackeray mounted a sharp attack on the BJP, accusing it of failing to protect temples and exploiting Hindutva for political gain. Seeking to turn Vidarbha into the centre of his campaign, Thackeray urged people to withdraw their support from the BJP, saying, “If Vidarbha withdraws its support, the BJP will collapse.”
Accompanied by party leader Aaditya Thackeray and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut, Thackeray offered prayers at the Ram temple in Ram Nagar before addressing a public meeting outside the shrine.
Claiming that the fight was no longer about building temples but protecting them, Thackeray alleged corruption in temple administration and said the movement would be taken across Maharashtra before culminating in Ayodhya and Kashi Vishwanath.
“The Ram temple has been built. Now the struggle is to protect it from those who are looting it,” he said.
Responding to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s challenge that he recite the Ram Raksha Stotra, Thackeray said, “Reciting the Ram Raksha may be his job. Ours is to protect Lord Ram and his temples.”
The Shiv Sena (UBT) chief also criticised the Centre over the detention of activist Sonam Wangchuk, alleging that he had been treated “like a terrorist” despite holding a peaceful protest. He urged Opposition parties to join a protest in Mumbai on Sunday in support of Wangchuk and activist Abhijeet Dipke.
Addressing RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Thackeray questioned whether the present state of governance reflected the “Hindu Rashtra” envisioned by the RSS, citing allegations of temple thefts, examination paper leaks, corruption and political defections.
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Rejecting allegations that the Shiv Sena (UBT) had abandoned Hindutva after joining hands with the Congress and the NCP, Thackeray accused the BJP of betraying its own Hindutva ideals and described the Special Investigation Team probing the alleged Ayodhya temple donation scam as an “eyewash”.
