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By:

Quaid Najmi

4 January 2025 at 3:26:24 pm

Uddhav tears into BJP’s claim

Mumbai:  Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched a blistering, wide-ranging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and in the state, targeting what he termed as a ‘toxic political climate’, rising crimes against women, and a ‘hire-and-fire’ culture hurting workers. Addressing the 58th annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Thackeray delivered a strong political cocktail laced with jibes, concerns over labour rights, women’s...

Uddhav tears into BJP’s claim

Mumbai:  Shiv Sena (UBT) President Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday launched a blistering, wide-ranging attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and in the state, targeting what he termed as a ‘toxic political climate’, rising crimes against women, and a ‘hire-and-fire’ culture hurting workers. Addressing the 58th annual general meeting of the Bharatiya Kamgar Sena, Thackeray delivered a strong political cocktail laced with jibes, concerns over labour rights, women’s issues, unemployment, and governance priorities. Attacking Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for his recent remarks about ‘tearing the burqas’ of the Opposition, Thackeray questioned sarcastically: “We are Hindus… So what ‘burqas’ are you going to rip off? Were you even present in the Lok Sabha?” Referring to atrocities on women, Thackeray sharply questioned the government’s priorities saying while the CM is campaigning in other states, women are being molested right here, fake babas are multiplying and drug rackets are flourishing in the state. On BJP’s claims of commitment to women’s reservation, the SS (UBT) chief asked “why the President (Droupadi Murmu) was not invited to key national events such as the inauguration of the new Parliament building or the consecration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya”. “This is not a new issue. We are ready… Implement women’s reservation today,” Thackeray asserted. Veering to national politics, Thackeray said that the BJP today lacks personalities of (the late) Arun Jaitley’s stature, and described West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee as “a fighting tigress who is bound to win”. He claimed that ‘two lakh CRPF personnel’ were deployed in West Bengal while barely 20,000 were stationed in the violence-hit Manipur. “Security forces were once used by Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel for integrating states into the Union, but now they are being used to win elections,” Thackeray said. On the alleged misuse of central security agencies, Thackeray dared the BJP to ‘set aside the CBI and ED’ and face the elections in a fair fight. “You deploy security forces to ensure your party wins as you lack the capability to win on your own merits, or unleash the ED-CBI. It is better to live like a tiger for one day than as a goat for 100 days,” said Thackeray. Alluding to the debates triggered by RSS Sarsanghchalak Mohan Bhagwat’s views on population, he asked: “Encouraging more children is fine - but who will feed them? What about unemployment problems?” Thackeray expressed concerns over delimitation based on population, warning it could skew political representation. “Some states are implementing family planning programmes quite effectively… Is practicing family planning now considered a crime?” Turning to the distress faced by the working classes, he flayed the current employment model as a ‘constant cycle of hire-and-fire’, with the government ignoring the security of workers. “Why are workers being compelled to leave the state, or even the country, for employment. They are the architects of the nation’s destiny. Now reports emerge that workers from north India are being employed in Dubai. The country is calling them to ‘return’. They ignored the calls, preferring to die by a bomb rather than returning to India only to die of unemployment,” said Thackeray, in a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He compared the current bout of global tensions, including the ongoing Iran-United States war, as a repetitive spectacle, triggering multi-fold domestic economic anxieties.

An Open Letter to President Donald Trump

Mr. President,


History has a quiet way of asking uncomfortable questions. It does not shout. It observes. And then, years later, it decides.


What makes a leader endure in its memory? Is it the wars he wages, or the wars he prevents? Is it the force of command, or the wisdom of restraint? When the world stands at the edge of uncertainty, does true strength lie in action, or in the courage to pause?


The Gulf today is a fragile crossroads of humanity’s future. The rising smoke from its tensions carries the anxiety of millions, the instability of economies, and the quiet fear of children who have never held a weapon, yet bear its consequences.


The United States has never been a distant observer of global events. By history and design, it remains a central force shaping them. Your decisions travel across continents, markets, and minds.


History offers a lesson that still whispers with relevance. During the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, the world came dangerously close to catastrophe. It was not military might that saved humanity. It was restraint, dialogue, and the willingness to step back.


Today, the Strait of Hormuz resembles a narrow bridge carrying a heavy burden. Nearly a fifth of the world’s energy flows through that slender passage. When uncertainty grips it, the world feels the tremor with rising oil prices and inflation.


For countries like India, dependent on energy imports, even a small rise in oil prices widens deficits and burdens households. Medicines cost more. Food prices climb. The invisible tax of war reaches the poorest first.


War leaves footprints not just on land, but on the human mind. One in six children today grows up in a conflict zone. It is a lullaby replaced by sirens. A young girl once said that even the bursting of a balloon makes her tremble because it sounds like gunfire. That is the true echo of war. It lingers long after the noise fades.


Even those far removed from conflict are not untouched. Through screens and headlines, fear travels swiftly. Children who have never seen war begin to imagine it at their doorstep. Their world shrinks, not in geography, but in spirit. Trust erodes quietly. Fear becomes familiar. And slowly, aggression begins to feel normal.


If war drains, peace builds.  The global economy today is intricately interconnected. Disruptions in energy supply affect agriculture, medicine, and manufacturing. Fertiliser shortages can lead to food insecurity. Petrochemical disruptions raise the cost of essential drugs. The International Monetary Fund has repeatedly warned that geopolitical conflicts quickly spiral into humanitarian and economic crises, driving inflation and slowing global growth.


The early signs of stagflation are already visible. Low growth with rising prices is not just an economic condition. It is a social strain that widens inequality and tests stability.


History, however, offers a telling contrast. After the devastation of World War II, the Marshall Plan chose construction over confrontation. The United States provided $13.3 billion (equivalent to $137 billion in 2025) to rebuild Western Europe, replacing ruin with investment, and conflict with cooperation, leading to recovery and lasting prosperity.


A peaceful Gulf could achieve something similar. Stable energy markets, restored supply chains, and renewed confidence could uplift millions. Peace is not passive. It is productive.


Mr. President, leadership is rarely tested in calm moments. It is tested when the easier path is escalation, when pressure demands reaction, and when restraint appears costly.


There is an old wisdom that conquering anger is the greatest victory. In today’s world, that wisdom feels urgent. A step toward de-escalation can open dialogue. Dialogue can build trust. Trust can reduce hostility. This path is not dramatic, but it is enduring.


History has a way of simplifying complexity into judgment. Leaders are remembered not for the intensity of their actions, but for the wisdom of their choices.


Will this moment be remembered as another chapter of escalation? Or will it stand as a turning point where conflict was consciously softened?


The world is not asking for inaction. It is asking for thoughtful action. Not weakness, but wisdom.


Peace is often dismissed as idealistic. Yet it remains the most practical path to stability. It strengthens economies, heals societies, and restores faith in humanity.  In choosing peace, you do not step away from power. You redefine it. And in doing so, you offer the world something far more enduring than victory.  You offer it hope.


(The writer is a retired banker and author. Views personal.)

 


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