Uddhav Thackeray led chants of the Ram Raksha Stotra and Hanuman Chalisa, turning a religious ritual into a pointed political protest against alleged mismanagement of Ram Temple funds.
Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray announced that his party will launch a protest movement against the theft of Ram Temple donations, which he alleged were used to purchase Opposition MPs, engineer their defections and split these organisations.
With six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs and several MLAs and corporators recently jumping ship to join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena and the buzz that attempts to “poach” are continuing in Maharashtra, the chatter now is that Nationalist Congress Party (SP) supremo Sharad Pawar is contemplating safer options for his party and daughter Supriya Sule.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray predicted on Thursday that Devendra Fadnavis will cease to be the Chief Minister of Maharashtra as he will be accommodated in the Union Cabinet soon.
Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena Member of Legislative Council (MLC), who used to represent the Worli assembly constituency as its MLA, formally issued a denial here on Wednesday that he too plans to defect to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, though sources said that he has already received an offer from Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
Both Shiv Sena factions have denied reports that six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs are set to join the Eknath Shinde-led camp. The speculation intensified after six MPs skipped a parliamentary meeting and were later served show-cause notices.
Spokesperson of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena and a Rajya Sabha MP told the media in Delhi that six MPs from his party were offered an additional Rs 10 crore to split away from the party and join the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
A Shiv Sena leader has claimed that six MPs from the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction have shifted support to Eknath Shinde, adding fresh momentum to 'Operation Tiger' speculation in Maharashtra.
The anti-defection law was meant to end the era of the “Aaya Ram, Gaya Ram” politician. Four decades later, it has produced constitutional alchemists seeking ever newer ways to turn defection into legality.
The rebellion by six MPs of the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena is not only a betrayal of Uddhav Thackeray and his Shiv Sena, but also an attack against the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) opposition, Maharashtra State Congress Committee President Harshwardhan Sapkal said here on Wednesday.
