Parbhani/Dharashiv: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded the immediate disqualification of six party MPs who recently defected to the Eknath Shinde-led camp, alleging that their switch was part of a larger political conspiracy.
Addressing a rally in Parbhani, the former Maharashtra chief minister said the Lok Sabha Speaker must uphold the rule of law regarding the defections and alleged that the BJP's central leadership was systematically "clipping the wings" of its own state leaders.
The Sena (UBT) chief is touring the Marathwada region, targeting the six rebel MPs by visiting their constituencies. He addressed rallies in Parbhani and Dharashiv, represented by Sanjay Jadhav and Omprakash Raje Nimbalkar, respectively.
Jadhav, Nimbalkar, and four other Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena on June 22, bringing down the Uddhav-led party's strength in the lower House to three MPs.
He said that MPs loyal to the Shiv Sena (UBT) had submitted a formal representation to Speaker Om Birla seeking an opportunity to present their side, noting that MP Arvind Sawant had cut short an official visit to Kargil after the Speaker advanced the date of the hearing.
"If there is a rule of law in this country, these six MPs should be disqualified. I still believe in the Lok Sabha Speaker because if he does not follow the law, he cannot ask others to follow it. We respect his authority, not his wishes," said Thackeray.
The dissident MPs had won against the BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in the 2024 general elections. The Thackeray-led party won nine Lok Sabha seats from Maharashtra in the polls.
Targeting Nimbalkar on his home turf, the Sena (UBT) leader said treachery has taken place in the district of Tuljabhavani, one of the patron deities of Maharashtra.
He alleged that the MPs switched their allegiance not for development funds as they have been claiming, but to pursue their selfish motives.
The Sena (UBT) chief alleged that the defections were part of a bigger political game under "Operation Devendra", aimed at sidelining Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, just as the party had done to other leaders in the past.
"The people voted against the Modi wave here (Parbhani). Now, the MP who won against that wave has crossed over. This is not a mere rebellion, but a bigger political game," he alleged.
Thackeray claimed the BJP's central leadership sidelines potential prime ministerial contenders, citing Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nitin Gadkari, and Fadnavis as examples.
He said Gadkari's wings were clipped so that he could not become PM.
Had he (Gadkari) become the BJP president for the second time, he would have become PM since he had the backing of the RSS, Thackeray added.
He said the betrayal (the splitting of the Shiv Sena) was aimed at stopping Fadnavis, who is “dreaming” of being in Delhi. This will be another shock to Maharashtra, Thackeray claimed.
The horse-trading is being done for the PM's post and politics within the BJP, Thackeray said in Dharashiv.
Fadnavis and Thackeray had travelled on the same flight from Mumbai to Nagpur on Friday, triggering speculation in political circles.
Referring to the flight travel, Thackeray said Fadnavis appeared "helpless" because "his own bosses were clipping his wings".
Thackeray attacked the BJP over the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement issue, accusing the saffron party of exploiting the temple for political gain, labelling it the "Babur Janata Party".
"Babur demolished the Ram Mandir. A 'Babur Janata Party' has now come to loot the newly constructed temple. What is the difference between them?" he questioned.
Mocking the BJP over its earlier slogan of "Mandir Wahi Banayege", Thackeray said in Dharashiv that the temple is being looted, and accused the BJP of exploiting the Hindutva sentiment for acquiring power.
"The Ram Mandir is a source of inspiration for Hindus. My question is why they have turned the temple into a shop. This temple is the outcome of a long struggle. Earlier, the BJP gave the slogan 'Mandir Vahi Banayenge' (Temple will be built at the same spot in Ayodhya). Now, we know why they wanted to build this temple. They have betrayed the ideology of Hindutva", he said.
Even the contracts for Kumbh Mela (work) in Nashik are being awarded to Gujaratis, he claimed.
"They will get a free hand if the Thackerays are finished, but the Thackerays cannot be finished," he said.
Targeting his bete noire Eknath Shinde, Thackeray claimed that the deputy chief minister had "no future" in the BJP-led alliance and he would be "thrown away" after using him.
He further questioned the source of the rebel MPs' wealth, pointing to their travel in private jets, and accused them of ignoring the plight of farmers.
He specifically recalled his visit to Parbhani following last year's crop damage, alleging that the rebel MP Sanjay Jadhav had remained absent.
Rebutting claims that his faction had abandoned his father Balasaheb Thackeray's ideology, Uddhav pointed out that Sena (UBT) had won four Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra compared to the BJP's initial two victories.
He also alleged that the BJP, which once followed "Gandhian socialism, embraced Hindutva only after the 1987 Vile Parle bypoll in Mumbai". The saffron party had distanced itself from the demolition of the Babri Masjid earlier, he added.
Addressing the criticism regarding the future of the Sena (UBT), Thackeray said he has been criticised and asked to introspect on why the party is suffering setbacks.
"Introspection should not be done by Uddhav Thackeray alone, but by everyone, including those who criticise me. A case regarding our party's split is pending before the Supreme Court. Why is nobody introspecting on why that case is still pending?" he asked.
At the Dharashiv rally, Thackeray asserted that he never shies away from taking responsibility.
Responding to criticism that he didn't step out of his residence (during the COVID-19 pandemic) to help people as the then chief minister, Thackeray said only he had reached out to people when Marathwada faced unprecedented floods.