Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde was challenged on Friday by Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray to bring about a division in his party without the support of central agencies like the CBI and ED.
Scoffing at reports that six of his nine MPs might jump ship, Thackeray insisted that all nine were solidly committed to the party. "If Shinde has the guts, let him do it without misusing government machinery. Their attempts will be foiled," he declared while presenting a performance report of Leader of Opposition in the State Council, Ambadas Danve.
His remarks came against the backdrop of what he described as 'Operation Tiger,' an alleged attempt by the ruling Shiv Sena to poach UBT MPs. Shiv Sena minister Uday Samant had claimed that six UBT MPs were likely to defect, while Shinde claimed all were in touch with him.
Thackeray dismissed these claims, calling it a ploy to create unrest within his faction. "This is an attempt to isolate me because I refuse to bow down. But let me make it clear traitors will always be traitors, and history will not remember them," he said, urging the Marathi Manoos to stay united against BJP's alleged "divide and rule" tactics.
Reaffirming his Hindutva stance, he questioned BJP's commitment to the Marathi identity. "Is Marathi Manoos not Hindu? BJP's slogan 'Batenge to Katenge' during the elections was not about Hindu-Muslim division but about dividing Marathi people," he alleged.
Thackeray also criticized the delay in Mumbai civic body (BMC) elections, warning of the city's deteriorating financial health under government-appointed administrators. "When Shiv Sena ruled BMC, its fixed deposits stood at Rs 93,000 cr. Now, they've been reduced to Rs 80,000 cr, and liabilities have surged to Rs 2.3 lac cr. It will take 23 years to clear these debts!" he warned.
He criticized reported attempts to privatize BMC-run hospitals and sought party workers' resistance to that.
Supporting Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's objection to the result of the just-concluded assembly polls, Thackeray again accused the BJP government of manipulative elections. "They might have stolen the majority using the government machinery but in people's minds, we are the original winners," he said.
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