Mumbai, June 19 (IANS) Addressing intense internal friction within the party on the occasion of Shiv Sena’s 60th anniversary here on Friday, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray challenged the narrative that he is desperately clinging to power.

Confronting the open rebellion by six Lok Sabha MPs, he threw down a gauntlet directly to the party’s rank-and-file workers.

“I didn’t enter politics to hold onto positions by force. As long as the lakhs of grassroots Shiv Sainiks standing before me want me to lead, I will continue to fight. But the moment you, the true workers of Balasaheb’s Sena, tell me it is time to go, I will step down from the party presidency without a moment’s hesitation,” he declared.

Thackeray used the emotional appeal to draw a sharp contrast between his relationship with loyal party workers and the actions of the defecting lawmakers, whom he accused of negotiating behind closed doors for Union Cabinet berths and switching allegiances for personal gain.

By placing his leadership mandate directly in the hands of the Sainiks, rather than parliamentary numbers, Thackeray sought to isolate the rebel faction and consolidate his emotional connect with the party’s traditional voter base ahead of the crucial municipal elections in Mumbai.

On a day marked by high political drama and an emotional address, Thackeray launched a blistering attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction during his party’s Foundation Day rally.

The speech came amid reports of a fresh split in the Thackeray camp, with six lawmakers reportedly breaking away from the party.

Addressing party workers, a visibly emotional Thackeray apologised to the electorate for the actions of the defecting leaders, reminding the crowd that these individuals had won on the back of the party’s grassroots goodwill.

“I apologise to the voters of the wards where this betrayal has taken place today. During the Modi wave, people voted for these individuals out of trust in us. We were constantly taunted that our MPs won only because of Modi’s face. But this time, nine of our MPs won without using Modi’s face. Why this continuous horse-trading now? What more do you want to achieve? How power-hungry can one get?” he asked.

Responding to sustained political attacks directed at him and his family, Thackeray strongly defended his decision to accept the Chief Minister’s post in 2019, stating that it was forced upon him after the BJP went back on its word.

He questioned the selective criticism levelled against the Thackeray family residence, Matoshree.

“Today, I am being targeted. My wife is being criticised, Aaditya and Tejas are being targeted. I accepted the Chief Minister’s responsibility only because the BJP betrayed us. Is Matoshree only meant to suffer and bear the brunt? You get to become ministers, you become MPs, your children become MLAs — but Matoshree is expected to do nothing? We don’t want such a setup,” Thackeray asserted.

“Why should Matoshree only suffer?” he asked while defending his family.

Turning his focus towards the ruling alliance’s governance, Thackeray took sharp jibes at the alleged monetary inducements driving political defections, drawing a contrast with the plight of Maharashtra’s agricultural sector.

On political corruption, Thackeray said: “Our party workers toil and sweat on the ground, while these people enjoy boxes upon boxes of cash (khoke). Farmers in the state are not getting a Minimum Support Price (MSP/Hami Bhaav) for their crops, but the ‘support price’ for defecting MPs seems securely fixed.”

On crop loan waivers, Thackeray criticised the state’s financial assistance packages.

“The loan waiver they provided is completely deceptive. Farmers are saying they would rather face death than accept such a fraudulent waiver,” he said.

On the ‘Ladki Bahin’ scheme, Thackeray accused the government of reversing benefits under its flagship welfare initiative.

“Before the elections, they promoted the ‘Ladki Bahin’ initiative, but now they have rolled back benefits for 80 lakh sisters,” he alleged.

–IANS

sj/pgh