Mumbai, June 17 (IANS) Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Harshvardhan Sapkal said on Wednesday that the rebellion by six Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Shiv Sena-UBT faction is not merely a betrayal of Uddhav Thackeray and his party, but also a betrayal of the Congress-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).

He told reporters that the people elected them by voting against the ruling MahaYuti alliance, and this act amounts to a breach of the public’s trust.

He warmed that “such traitors will ultimately be taught a lesson by the people themselves”.

Sapkal said that the six MPs who rebelled and left the Shiv Sena-UBT were elected as candidates of the Maha Vikas Aghadi.

“During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, workers of the Congress, Nationalist Congress Party, and Shiv Sena campaigned for these candidates, disregarding threats and refusing to succumb to any inducements. The people placed their faith in them. This rebellion is an insult to all those workers and voters, and these six MPs have betrayed each one of them,” he added.

“These individuals, who have become subservient to money, can never truly serve the people. Their only concern is wealth. Those who can be bought with money ultimately belong to no one,” Sapkal said.

He also alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has been trampling upon democratic and Constitutional values and has adopted an autocratic style of governance based on the principle of “whatever we do becomes the law”.

According to Sapkal, the BJP’s sole objective is power, and over the past few years elections have been reduced to a money game.

“If they fail to win an election, they attempt to buy victorious candidates with money; if that does not work, they use the Election Commission to get nominations cancelled. Such a distorted system is now in operation. These developments pose a serious threat to democracy,” he said.

Sapkal also remarked that the most unfortunate aspect is that justice is not available in any institution — whether in the Legislature, Parliament, or the courts.

“The BJP has captured all institutions, and governance is being run through fear and intimidation,” the State Congress President alleged.

–IANS

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