Uddhav Thackeray Slams Modi Over Nawaz Sharif Meet: 'If Wangchuk is Traitor for Pak Visit, What About PM?'

Digital Desk

In a blistering attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has questioned the Centre's hypocrisy in branding Ladakh activist Sonam Wangchuk a "traitor" for his peace advocacy amid tensions with Pakistan.

"If Wangchuk is a traitor for his Pak visit, what about Modi?" Thackeray quipped, recalling Modi's historic 2015 meeting with then-Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad.

Thackeray's remarks, delivered at a rally in Maharashtra, underscore the escalating political rift over national security narratives. Wangchuk, arrested recently for protesting Ladakh's administrative status, has faced sedition charges for allegedly "sympathizing" with Pakistan during a virtual address. The former Maharashtra CM decried this as an assault on dissent, stating, "Fighting for justice has now been branded as treason." He urged the BJP-led government to apply the same yardstick to Modi's "unwarranted" overtures to Islamabad.

The 2015 Modi-Sharif summit, hailed then as a diplomatic breakthrough, saw the Indian PM make a surprise Lahore stopover on Sharif's birthday. It paved the way for dialogue but collapsed amid the 2016 Pathankot attack. Thackeray, leveraging this irony, accused the ruling dispensation of double standards. "Modi hugged Sharif and called it peace; Wangchuk speaks for autonomy and it's treason. This is the new patriotism," he thundered, drawing cheers from supporters.

This isn't Thackeray's first salvo. The Maha Vikas Aghadi leader has consistently criticized the Modi government's handling of Kashmir and border issues, positioning Shiv Sena (UBT) as a defender of regional voices. Analysts see this as a strategic move ahead of Maharashtra polls, where anti-Centre sentiment could sway voters.

The controversy reignites debates on free speech versus security. PDP's Mehbooba Mufti echoed Thackeray, tweeting support for Wangchuk and slamming "selective treason." BJP countered, labeling Thackeray's barbs "anti-national opportunism."

As India-Pakistan ties remain frosty post recent skirmishes, Thackeray's rhetoric highlights deepening domestic divides. Will this expose realpolitik flaws or fuel electoral fires? Only time will tell.