Sena vs Sena: Charges fly on party day | Uddhav Thackeray makes emotional appeal to cadre; Shinde says Sena (UBT)…

Amid the rebellion buzz in Shiv Sena (UBT) with six of its Lok Sabha MPs being speculated to be crossing over to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, the rival factions used the party’s 60th Foundation Day on Friday to draw battle lines over the legacy of Bal Thackeray and the future of the Sena.

While Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray made an emotional appeal to party workers, even offering to step down if they lost faith in him, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde declared, “Yeh toh sirf trailer hai, picture abhi baaki hai (This is just a trailer; the movie is still not over).”

Significantly, the six MPs whose names have figured in discussions over a possible crossover — Sanjay Jadhav, Omraje Nimbalkar, Nagesh Ashtikar, Babasaheb Wakchaure, Sanjay Deshmukh and Sanjay Dina Patil — skipped the foundation day events, fuelling speculation over their next move.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde speaks at his party event at NESCO in Goregaon.

Addressing party workers at Mumbai’s Shanmukhananda Hall, Thackeray sought to rally the cadre amid the looming crisis. “You all know how I work, and I don’t believe in clinging to a post if someone points a finger at me. I want to ask all of you: I am ready to step down. I am not greedy for a post. But if a man with a traitor’s blood falsely accuses me, then I expect you to answer him. I am not going to buckle under difficulties and will not run away from responsibility. I will continue only as long as you have faith in me. The moment you lose that faith, I will quit this post,” he said.

The gathering responded with loud slogans urging him not to step down. Taking aim at the rebel MPs, Thackeray said, “I apologise to the voters from the constituencies where these traitors won. They defeated Narendra Modi because of Balasaheb’s legacy and my support. These MPs are now backstabbing the voters.” Urging workers to directly question and confront these MPs, he said, “I asked you to ensure their victory. Why do you need another order to confront them? Do not lose your right to question those individuals. Go and confront them.”

Warning against what he described as the BJP’s attempts to dominate the political landscape, Thackeray said, “If things continue in this manner, we will have to come together and undertake Operation Lotus. The country is moving towards anarchy. What will be the future of a country where the youth are labelled as cockroaches? They (the BJP) are moving towards one party and no polls. But I have a small piece of advice for BJP: our Independence was not achieved by winning polls, but through the rebellion of youngsters.”

Rejecting speculation that Sena (UBT) could merge with the Congress, he said, “We stayed with the BJP for 30 years. We never became the BJP. What makes you think we will merge with the Congress? The situation is such that the Maharashtra BJP will merge with Mindhe (Eknath Shinde)… Shiv Sena is not going to merge with anyone…” Invoking his father’s legacy, he said, “I know that I, Uddhav Thackeray, am immaterial. But Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray is not.”

Story continues below this ad

The four parliamentarians who have stayed with Sena (UBT) — Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and Lok Sabha MPs Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai and Rajabhau Vaze — were felicitated before Thackeray’s speech. He claimed that besides these leaders, 20 MLAs, corporators and thousands of workers continued to stand by him.

At NESCO in Goregaon, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde used the Foundation Day event to defend his 2022 rebellion and sharpen his attack on the rival faction. Without naming Thackeray, he said, “They are surrounded by people who only flatter them. How will the party grow like this? Times have changed and politics must change too. Stop saying ‘main, main, main (I, I, I)’. Say ‘we’. Ravana’s Lanka was destroyed because of ego. People understand everything.”

Making a direct claim over Balasaheb Thackeray’s political legacy, Shinde said, “Balasaheb Thackeray’s true heirs are Shiv Sainiks. Succession is not determined by blood relations but by ideology. Shiv Sena is not a piece of land. It is the ideology of millions of people…”

Responding to Sena (UBT) leaders’ warnings of action against rebel MPs, Shinde mocked what he called “Operation Tudva”. “Some people say they will carry out operations. But he is a compounder. How can a compounder perform an operation?… To perform an operation, you need the heart of a tiger, not that of a wolf,” he said.  He also took a swipe at Sena (UBT) over the rebellion buzz. “In the morning, they abuse their MPs and by evening they praise the same MPs. What kind of politics is this?…”

Story continues below this ad

Among the sharpest remarks in his speech, Shinde said, “Kutte jhund mein bhonkte hain, sher akela aata hai (Dogs bark in packs, a lion walks alone)”, and added, “Kutte bhonkte rehte hain aur tiger shikaar karta hai (Dogs keep barking while the tiger hunts).”