Mumbai: Maharashtra Tourism Minister and CM Uddhav Thackeray’s son Aaditya Thackeray on Monday claimed 15 to 20 Shiv Sena MLAs, who are with Eknath Shinde’s rebel camp are in touch with Shiv Sena and have urged the party to bring them back to Mumbai from Guwahati. Thackeray also claimed that they are lodged in the hotel like prisoners and want to come back, PTI reported. The Sena has claimed some legislators have been kidnapped or forcibly taken by the rebel camp. Around 15-20 MLAs are in touch with us. Their situation is like that of a prisoner. They call me and Shiv Sainiks and urged us to bring them back from Guwahati, PTI quoted Thackeray as saying.
Addressing Shiv Sena workers in Karjat, on the outskirts of Mumbai, Thackeray, who has been doing firefighting to save the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, which the rebel camp is protesting against, said every Shiv Sainik is seeing the current situation as an opportunity and not as a problem.
“The dirt has gone away. Now we can do something good,” Thackeray said, referring to the rebel MLAs.
The Shiv Sena leader also said before the June 21 revolt there were murmurs that some developments will take place in the party, which heads the MVA that also comprises of the NCP and the Congress.
Shiv Sena rebellion
A majority of the Sena MLAs, including nine ministers, have rebelled against the party, threatening the existence of the two-and-a-half-year old government. Eknath Shinde has claimed the support of more than three dozen Sena MLAs out of the total 55.
Slamming the Sena strongman from Thane without taking his name, Thackeray said some leaders were blindly trusted and the sad part is such people were promoted in the organization continuously.
He said the MLAs leaving the parties was like “cleaning the ‘nullahs’ and garbage before the onset of monsoon”.
Sanjay Raut summoned by ED
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena leader and Uddhav Thackeray’s confidant Sanjay Raut was summoned by ED in connection to a money-laundering case amid the political rebellion in the party.
However, Raut clarified that he won’t be attending the summon and will seek another date for interrogation from the anti-corruption body.
(With PTI inputs)