Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 26: Even as the power tussle intensified in Maharashtra with one more minister joining the rival Eknath Shinde camp and the official group claiming “to be in touch” with at least 21 rebel MLAs, the central government on Sunday extended “Y” category security to 15 rebel members and their families as protest demonstrations denouncing the rebellion continued in various parts of the state.
Amidst the unfolding political turmoil, the young Sena leader Aditya Thackeray, the son of the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and a minister in his cabinet, has taken the centre stage to fight against his father’s adversaries. Addressing a meeting of the Sena workers on Sunday, Aditya warned the rebels stating that the “doors of the Sena was now closed for the traitors,” and open “only for those who want return.” He said the party would also not try to stop “if anyone still want to leave.”
Soon after, however, another minister from Shiv Sena Uday Samant, MLA from Ratnagiri, flew to Guwahati on Sunday afternoon from Surat, to be the ninth minister to desert Uddhav Thackeray and joined with his erstwhile second in command Shinde.
Meanwhile, fifteen of the rebel MLAs in the Shinde camp were granted central security cover by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). Sources said the 15 MLAs do not include Shinde whose supporters in Thane, however, had been holding demonstrations in his favour and burnt an effigy of Thackeray.
The Sena sources said the official group was planning to take action against Eknath Shinde and other rebel ministers. According to sources, ministers Eknath Shinde, Gulabrao Patil, Dada Bhuse and several other rebel were likely to be dropped from the Thackeray cabinet while the deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal, who is holding the speaker’s office, have issued notices to the 16 rebels for disqualification from the state Assembly.
Despite being reduced to a minority, Team Thackeray has dismissed Shinde’s assertion that he would stake claim for the party symbol. In an open challenge to rebels, Aaditya Thackeray asked them to “defect and fight” the elections.
Differences, however, have also appeared within the rebel camp over plans to merge the group with the BJP. Shinde also has the option of merging with Prahar Janshakti Party, whose chief, Maharashtra Minister Bachchu Kadu, is already camping with the rebels in Guwahati.
Following reports of Shinde’s “secret meetings” with the BJP leader and former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the union home minister Amit Shah over the next ministry formation, Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut took a swipe at the rebels, camping in BJP-ruled Assam. “How long will you hide in Guwahati,” he asked and said “sooner or later you will have to return to Mumbai.” The BJP state leadership, however, has denied of any such secret meeting and maintained that the BJP had no hand behind the revolt within the Sena legislature party.
The rebels have said that they are still with the Shiv Sena and claim that they have a two-thirds majority. Rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar further demanded recognition of their group ‘Shiv Sena Balasaheb’ and warned of going to court if it is not done and denied the role of the BJP behind their revolt.
Continuing to use a threatening tone, Raut, the closest aide of Uddhav Thackeray lashed out at the rebels holed up with Shinde in Guwahati. “The one who betrays Balasaheb is finished… From now on, we have to decide who to trust and whose palanquin to carry. The bodies of these 40 MLAs will come here. They will be directly sent to the mortuary for post-mortem,” he said declaring that he “doesn’t consider this a crisis”.
“When I see the photos, Radisson Blu doesn’t look like a hotel, it seems like the Bigg Boss house. People are drinking, eating, playing. And half of them will be eliminated… Till when will you hide in Guwahati, you will have to come back to Chowpatty,” he said.
Raut’s earlier remarks that the MLAs, when they come back to Maharashtra for a floor test, they “will find it difficult to return and move around” had caused an uproar in the rebel camp and used as a “instigation” by the official group to the Sena cadres to run riot in the streets.
“There is an ongoing agenda wherein various leaders of the MVA government are instigating the cadres of their respective parties to take up violence to further intimidate us which is evident from the media reports published on 23.06.2022 at various print and digital publications wherein Mr. Sanjay Raut threatened the Petitioners and the other members by stating that he would make it difficult for the MLAS who have left to return to Maharashtra and move around in the State of Maharashtra,” Shinde’s letter said.
This morning, Mr Raut responded with a tweet. “How long will you hide in Guwahati? You will have to come back to Chowpatty,” read his post. The Uddhav Thackeray camp has also claimed that at least 20 MLAs camping with Shinde were “in touch” with the Chief Minister but were unable to leave “fortress-like” hotel in Guwahati.
Meanwhile, the governor Bhagat Singh Koshiyari has asked the state Director General of Police Rajnish Seth, to provide security to the rebel MLAs. The governor, in a letter to top cop has said the MLAs have raised serious concerns for their homes and families after “threatening statements were made by certain political leaders.” Koshyari said 47 MLAs – 38 from Shiv Sena, two from Prahar Jan Shakti Party and seven independents – have told him that police security of their families has been “illegally and unlawfully withdrawn.”
The letter requesting police security follows the Centre’s decision to increase security cover to 15 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs after cadres loyal to the Thackerays staged protests vandalised the offices of some of the rebel MLAs in various parts of the state.