Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 24: Both the official and the rebel group of the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra seems to have adopted wait and watch policy with both the sides waiting for the next move of the rivals before taking their own calculated step even as the rank of the rebel camp continued to swell with at least one more Sena MLA deserting the chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and joined the Guwahati camp of the rebels on Friday.
With the Shiv Sena rank and file staging demonstrations in different cities in the state denouncing the rebellions against the first family of the party, a rejuvenated Uddhav Thackeray asserted he had “not lost the determination to fight,” while the rebel camp is learnt to have decided to buy some more time before making any move to stake its claim for the formation of the next government in alliance with the BJP.
The BJP on its part has for the time being distanced itself from the rebels’ move apparently to convince the people of the state that it had no hands in the attempt to dislodge the government of Balasaheb Thackeray. A day after claiming that a “big national party” was helping the rebels apparently to comfort the MLAs in his side, the rebel leader Eknath Shinde “clarified” on Friday, “no national party has any hand” in the rebellion against the Thackeray government.
Stating that no national party was “in contact” with his camp, Shinde said on Friday, “When I said a big power is backing us, I meant the power of Balasaheb Thackeray and (late Shiv Sena leader) Anand Dighe.” Responding to a query on when will the political crisis in Maharashtra end, Shinde, a Minister in the Uddhav Thackeray-led government in the State, said things will be clear after some time. “Out of 55 Shiv Sena MLAs, 40 have come with me to Guwahati. In a democracy, the majority and numbers count. So nobody has the right to take any action against us,” Shinde said, when asked about the Sena approaching the Assembly Deputy Speaker for action against the rebel MLAs.
Shinde, who briefly left his hotel room in Guwahati for a visit to Kamakshya temple to offer puja, has claimed the support of 40 of the 55 Sena MLAs and at least 10 independents. He has also claimed that more Sena MLAs would be joining his side soon.
The Thackeray group on Friday send a note to the deputy speaker demanding disciplinary actions against four more rebel Sena MLAs and disqualifying them from the Assembly for flouting the party mandate taking the tally of the Sena MLAs to be served disqualification notices to 16. The Shinde group is learnt to be contemplating to approach the Supreme Court once the notices were received challenging the validity of the deputy speaker’s notices after the party lost the majority support. It would also stake its claim for recognition as the “real Shiv Sena” since it had the support of more than two-third members of the legislature party.
As the Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress continued to back the Thackeray group strongly, the NCP chief Sharad Pawar met Thackeray at his home on Friday as another Shiv Sena MLA joined the rebel camp in Guwahati, already believed to have enough members to wrest control. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, state cabinet minister Jayant Patil and party leader Praful Patel also accompanied Pawar in meeting Thackeray. Earlier, at a party meet, an emotional Uddhav Thackeray told party workers that the rebels were “trying to break” the party. “Why would I feel bad about those who have left? And also threw a challenge of sorts to the rebels, “Without using the names of Shiv Sena and my father Bal Thackeray, how will you move ahead,” he asked targeting the rebel MLAs who have deserted him.
Sena MLA Dilip Lande was the latest to join the rebels at the Guwahati hotel. The number of MLAs in the Eknath Shinde could cross 50 as more legislators are likely to reach Guwahati, sources inside said.
Two Independent MLAs, part of Eknath Shinde camp, have called for the removal of Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwall, who is from Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). The two MLAs – Mahesh Baldi and Vinod Agarwal – have referred to a Supreme Court order in a case from Arunachal Pradesh and have urged the Deputy Speaker not to adjudicate on the disqualification plea against rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.
The Deputy Speaker, meanwhile, has approved Shiv Sena’s proposal to appoint MLA Ajay Chaudhary as Shiv Sena legislative party leader in the state Assembly and start sending notices to the selected rebel MLAs. The official group is unlikely to seek disqualification of more rebel MLAs as it would put the three-party alliance the Maha Vikas Aghadi to below the majority mark passing on advantage to the BJP waiting in the wings to grab power.
The rebel MLAs are preparing to move Supreme Court once notices are issued to them, the rebel camp sources said. The Eknath Shinde camp is also expected to move the Election Commission staking claim for the party and the symbol, sources added.
Earlier on Friday, the Sena spokesman Sanjay Raut alleged that Maharashtra alliance leader Sharad Pawar had been threatened by a Union Minister. “He is the son of Maharashtra. They are threatening him. Modi ji, Amit Shah, have you heard? Your minister is threatening Sharad Pawar, do you support such threats? Maharashtra wants to know,” Raut said.
Shinde, who has claimed that his faction is the “real Shiv Sena”, has sent letters carrying signatures of 37 MLAs to state Legislative Assembly Deputy Speaker, Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari and the legislature secretary to inform them about his appointment as the legislature party leader.
In his emotional address to the part y workers, Thackeray said those who had always declared they would rather die than leave the Shiv Sena had today simply “run away.” “How far can you go without using the names of Shiv Sena and Thackeray,” Mr Thackeray questioned, targeting the MLAs who have deserted him.
“You can take away the flowers, the fruit and the stems of trees but you can’t destroy the roots,” he said. The Sena chief and his son Aaditya Thackeray met with the Shiv Sena’s district heads this afternoon as they looked completely outnumbered and outmaneuvered by Eknath Shinde, who has gained the support of more than 40 MLAs. Aaditya Thackeray attended the meeting in person and was greeted by a crowd of party workers who lashed out at the rebels, raised slogans and even wept.
“”I did everything for Eknath Shinde. I gave him the department I held. His own son is an MP and comments are being made regarding my son. A lot of allegations are levelled against me,” Thackeray said. Thackeray, who left the chief minister’s official residence “Varsha” and returned to his ancestral home “Matoshree” on Wednesday, declared, “I have left Varsha Bungalow but not the will to fight,” he said.
Thackeray said he had told Shinde about how the BJP’ “use and throw” policy and how it used outsiders on ‘rent’ like the Ranes. “BJP remains safe and rented attackers face the action,” he said. Using stern words against the rebels and attempts to capture the party, Thackeray challenged them to survive politically without using the picture of Sena founder and his father Bal Thackeray and party’s name. “I dare you to run the party by separating two, Sena and Thackeray,” he said.
Earlier, State’s Environment minister and CM’s son Aaditya Thackeray clarified that it was time to fight and win the battle. “Those who put a price tag on themselves and left us, should they be given any value?” he asked. The Sena decided to undertake an outreach program for its party workers starting from Saturday.
Aaditya Thackeray will be addressing party workers in an open forum in south Mumbai and similar programs will be organised across 12 zones of the party in Mumbai. “We are with the party, we believe in the leadership of Thackerays. A common party worker stands with Thackerays and that will be demonstrated through these programs,” said Sena’s south zone chief Pandurang Sakpal.
