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Both rival factions of the Shiv Sena traded heated barbs on the 59th Foundation Day of the party, with Uddhav Thackeray sending a challenge to Eknath Shinde.
Eknath Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray sparred on the 59th Foundation Day of Shiv Sena. (PTI/File Image)
Both rival factions of the Shiv Sena traded heated barbs on the 59th Foundation Day of the party after Uddhav Thackeray accused Eknath Shinde of betraying the party, while the Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister hit back by saying he “abandoned” Hindutva.
Speaking at the Foundation Day rally in Sion, Uddhav Thackeray recited a dialogue from the 1991 move Prahar, saying, “Like Nana Patekar in the film, I am standing before these traitors and telling them, Come on, kill me.”
“But if you dare attack me, come along with an ambulance like in the film starring Amitabh Bachchan, because you will meet the same fate,” he added, terming the rally of Shinde Sena as a “gathering of thieves”.
Uddhav Sena, which is rumoured to enter an alliance with Raj Thackeray’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), said the BJP and Shinde Sena did not want Marathi parties to unite, referring to Raj Thackeray’s recent meeting with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. “If you try to finish the Thackeray brand, we will finish off the BJP,” he said.
‘Already Finished’: Shinde Hits Back
Eknath Shinde, addressing a separate rally in Worli, hit back at Uddhav’s remarks, saying there was no point in attacking someone who was already finished, hinting at the UBT faction’s drubbing at the 2024 Maharashtra Assembly elections.
“Someone told me that Uddhav said, ‘come on, kill me’… maybe he just watched some English movie. He had gone to London for a vacation. What’s the point of attacking someone who’s already politically dead? The people of Maharashtra have already crushed you in the Assembly election,” he said.
Shinde said the UBT faction was entering an alliance with MNS as it was desperate for power. “Balasaheb Thackeray opposed Congress, but those desperate for power aligned with that party as they are desperate for power. UBT has betrayed the Marathi people, Shiv Sena voters and have abandoned Hindutva,” he said.
The deputy CM also highlighted that Uddhav’s remarks are used by Pakistan against India. “Balasaheb Thackeray opposed Congress, but those desperate for power aligned with that party as they are desperate for power. UBT has betrayed the Marathi people, Shiv Sena voters and have abandoned Hindutva,” he added.
Fadnavis also downplayed Uddhav’s remarks, saying, “I do not reply to Bol Bachchan (empty talk), he is Bol Bachchan.”
The Shiv Sena split in 2022 after Eknath Shinde engineered a rebellion and joined the BJP with 40 MLAs, leading to the fall of Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. Later on, Ajit Pawar also led a similar rebellion in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and joined the BJP.
(with inputs from agencies)
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international…Read More
Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in international… Read More
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