Maharashtra: Dissent simmering for long, final planning was at Yeoor hills in Thane

Times of India | 4 days ago | 23-06-2022 | 10:23 am

THANE: After polling for the Maharashtra Legislative Council got over at 4pm on Monday, Eknath Shinde made an unannounced trip to Upwan near the Yeoor hills in Thane with a few party MLAs. This is where they finalised their next step before leaving for Surat, close confidants of Shinde told Manoj Badgeri. Why Eknath Shinde's rebellion made Shiv Sena stop and take note“The leaders were upset after Shinde was sidelined during the crucial Rajya Sabha and the MLC polls. They were fuming over how Congress and NCP were getting the lion’s share of the budget while Sena leaders got a raw deal. Shinde arrived with a few MLAs and held discussions over dinner. They decided their dissent needed to be aired and left for Surat,” said a close acolyte of Shinde who is now in Guwahati. Read AlsoSena vs Sena: Eknath Shinde seeks to wrest control of key party postsPolitical experts say the chief whip and legislature party leader's posts become critical in such situations. "The whip can issue directions to vote and is the party's enforcer. Members who vote against the whip can be disqualified and can also be expelled. So in the current case, it will beAnother Thane Sena functionary considered close to Shinde hinted the unrest had been simmering for some time. “The dissent is unlikely to be a knee-jerk reaction… It could have burst out earlier but may have been deferred possibly due to the Rajya Sabha and MLC polls,” said the functionary. Read AlsoUddhav Thackeray offers to quit, Eknath Shinde says Shiv Sena must leave MVA immediatelyShiv Sena’s rebel faction led by urban development minister Eknath Shinde refused to relent even as Maha Vikas Aghadi government led by chief minister Uddhav Thackeray made an emotional appeal in a Facebook live address, offering to “resign in a minute” even if one of them (rebels) asked him to doOnly a select few close Shinde associates from Thane were apprised of his plans at the last minute and asked to accompany him to oversee travel and stay arrangements and ensure the breakaway MLAs were taken good care of. In Shinde’s home turf Thane, many party workers assembled at his bungalow on the Eastern Express Highway on Wednesday evening to show solidarity with his decision. Read AlsoMaharashtra political crisis: Shiv Sena’s ‘soft Hindutva’ failed to strike a chordThe intra-party uprising in the Shiv Sena underscores chief minister Uddhav Thackeray’s failure to convince Shiv Sainiks that his version of soft Hindutva, vis-a-vis the BJP’s aggressive edition, will be acceptable to the party’s loyal voters, said observers on Wednesday.

Read more

Share:

Similar News

Buoyed by SC order, Shinde faction now plans to approach Governor

The Indian Express | 1 hour ago | 28-06-2022 | 03:45 am

The Indian Express

1 hour ago | 28-06-2022 | 03:45 am

With the Supreme Court extending the deadline for them to file a response to disqualification notices, the Shiv Sena’s rebel group led by Eknath Shinde is learnt to be strategising to approach the Governor, informing him of their decision to withdraw support from the MVA, and thereby, prompting a floor test.Highly placed sources said, “The Shinde faction is likely to approach Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhawan, informing its decision to distance itself from Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.”Claiming to have 50 plus MLAs in its fold, Shinde camp’s decision to step out of MVA would raise a question on the numbers with Uddhav Thackeray led MVA government, which could find it difficult to prove its majority on the floor of the house if the rebel MLAs were to stick together, the sources added.The development has also sparked worries in the Sena with a senior leader pointing out: “While the Apex court has given two weeks’ time to the rebels to respond to disqualification notices served by deputy speaker Narhari Zirwal, our plea for disallowing floor test till July 11 was not considered.”Shinde camp’s confidence stems from its belief that it holds two-third majority in the Shiv Sena. At present, it is claiming support of 39 MLAs out of total 55 MLAs of the Sena. Besides, there are over 10 MLAs from smaller parties/independents with them. Their total support base has risen to over 50, the Shinde camp has claimed.The total strength of the state legislative assembly is 288 members, which has gone down to 287 with the death of Sena MLA Ramesh Latke last month. The halfway mark to form the government is 144.With Congress’s 44, NCP’s 53 and Sena’s 16 legislators, the aggregate strength of the allies stands at 111 — 33 short of the halfway mark. The number of independents/smaller parties adds up to 29 members, of which around 11 are with Shinde camp. Sources say that even if all the remaining 19 were to align with MVA, the figure still won’t cross 130.“Minus Shinde faction, MVA finds itself confronting the battle for survival in Maharashtra,” the source said.Expressing his happiness after the SC order, Shinde said, “It is a victory for Balasaheb’s Hindutva. We have always maintained that we have not walked out of Sena. Our fight is for the self respect of Sena.”Sources in the Shinde faction said, “A lot of deliberations are underway on the next course of action. We are still fighting for the rights to lead the Sena. With majority members with us, Shinde’s leadership in the party’s legislative assembly cannot be divested. We always wanted Sena to walk away from the Congress and the NCP.”Shinde’s son Shrikant alleged that the disqualification notice to his father and 15 MLAs were sent by the deputy speaker under pressure.Meanwhile, the BJP, which convened its core committee meeting at the residence of opposition leader Devendra Fadnavis on Monday, has decided to adopt “wait and watch” strategy. State BJP president Chandrakant Patil said, “What is happening is an internal matter of Shiv Sena. We are also closely monitoring the developments.”Another senior leader, Sudhir Mungantiwar, said, “Shinde group is still not considering itself separate from Shiv Sena. At the same time, they have the support of a majority of members. So, we need to see how the situation evolves.”

Maha crisis: Uddhav Thackeray strips all 9 rebel ministers of portfolios but doesn’t sack them

Times of India | 2 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 02:39 am

Times of India

2 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 02:39 am

MUMBAI: A week after the revolt began for control of Shiv Sena, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray on Monday stripped all nine ministers from rebel leader Eknath Shinde's camp of their portfolios. They will remain ministers but without portfolios. By now, of the 14 ministers in the Thackeray-led government, only four including the chief minister, are from Shiv Sena. The others are industries minister Subhash Desai, transport minister Anil Parab and environment minister Aaditya Thackeray. They have all got additional portfolios. Monday's Supreme Court verdict protecting the rebel Sena MLAs from disqualification proceedings till July 12 led to speculation about whether a floor test is imminent. "The government is in a minority. The chief minister should leave the MVA government and join BJP. Then there will be no need for a floor test," rebel MLA Deepak Kesarkar said. Sena's Aaditya Thackeray countered, "The rebels should come here, look into our eyes and tell us what we did wrong. That is our floor test." Congress member Balasaheb Thorat said, "No one has asked for a floor test. The CM has said 20 MLAs who are in Guwahati will back the government in the event of a trust vote." BJP's Sudhir Mungantiwar said the party will "wait and watch" and would consider such a proposal when it came. The cabinet reshuffle was prompted by concerns about work being held up. Also, by the onset of monsoon and the possibility of flooding or accidents, a press statement from Thackeray's office said. Under rule 6 of the rules of business, the chief minister has powers to re-allocate portfolio of a cabinet minister if he is not attending office since he is unwell or is not able to discharge duties. This is done to ensure works of public interest as well as routine work are not affected. Read AlsoEight ways to lose your political partyWhen politicians lose an election, they stand a chance of bouncing back in the next one. But what happens when they lose their party? It was initially decided to sack all nine rebel members, a bureaucrat said. But the Sena leadership dropped the proposal and decided to strip them of their portfolios. Meanwhile, rebel MLA Shamburaje Desai, who lost his junior minister portfolio, said, "We had no rights as junior ministers. The position was only in name. We were not able to get funds for our constituencies." Read AlsoDid Uddhav hear what BJP said about Shinde last summer?The Shiv Sena was casual about numerous signs of discontent brewing in the party. Was it over-confidence or power lulling a party into laziness?Security of Guwahati hotel housing rebel Sena MLAs tightened furtherSecurity inside and outside Radisson Blu hotel in Guwahati, where rebel Shiv Sena MLAs are camping, was upgraded to an impenetrable level on Monday, a day after the Centre provided Y+ category security cover of armed CRPF personnel to at least 15 of them, reports Prabin Kalita. Apart from a few top officers of Assam Police, a group of advocates were the only civilians allowed entry inside the hotel on Monday. In addition, crew members of several airlines that have agreements with the hotel were also allowed inside. Read AlsoWho owns brand Bal Thackeray: Saininks or the Thackerays?The rebel Shiv Sainiks led by Eknath Shinde have decided to call themselves Shiv Sena Balasaheb. This has opened a new front in their battle with Uddhav Thackeray – a brand warThe president of Shiv Sena unit in Manipur, M Tombi Singh, who had come to meet the rebel legislators, was stopped at the gates and then arrested after he was spotted talking to media outside the hotel gates. “I’ve come to talk to Eknath Shinde and tell him not to divide the party. Sena should remain as one party and we want the political crisis to end soon,” he said.

Shinde camp views SC order as victory; disqualification inevitable, says Sena

The Indian Express | 4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:45 am

The Indian Express

4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:45 am

The Supreme Court’s order on Monday, extending the time for Eknath Shinde and 15 other rebel MLAs in the Maharashtra State Legislative Assembly to file written response to the Deputy Speaker’s disqualification notice till July 12, was deemed as a victory by the rebel camp. On the other hand, the Shiv Sena also put up a brave front stating that the interim order had only postponed the inevitable disqualification of the rebel MLAs.“We have won this major battle as the court has given us a major relief and we have time to contemplate on how to take the next step, whether we have to come to Mumbai for floor test or not. We have given all the authority of decision to Shinde saheb who will decide on the further course of action,” rebel MLA Bharat Gogawale, the chief whip of the Shinde camp, said.When asked if there is any plan on joining hands with the BJP, Gogawale, said, “We have 51 MLAs and we have to go with someone to form an alliance. We cannot go with the Congress or the NCP and there is only one option, which is the BJP.”Deepak Kesarkar, the spokesperson of the Shinde camp, said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Shiv Sena will form the government in the state, adding that their leader will be Uddhav Thackeray and that the Congress and the NCP should walk out of the government “instead of asking Thackeray saheb to resign”.Arvind Sawant, Shiv Sena Member of Parliament from South Mumbai, who has been spearheading the battle for disqualification for the MVA, however, called the interim order as “postponement of the inevitable disqualification”.“They have only got time…that doesn’t mean it is a setback to MVA (Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi). The process has just been postponed. Now we are in a wait-and-watch position and we will decide on our further course of action depending upon what they (the rebel camp) are doing,” Sawant said.

‘Agent provocateur out to finish Sena’: Rebels hit back at Sanjay Raut

The Indian Express | 4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:45 am

The Indian Express

4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:45 am

The Eknath Shinde-led rebel camp has launched a frontal attack on Shiv Sena Parliamentarian Sanjay Raut — the main strategy aide and lead architect of Uddhav Thackeray’s policy to align with the Congress-NCP, terming him as “the agent provocateur who is out to finish the Shiv Sena”. The attack by the rebels on Raut comes on a day when the latter has been served a notice by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) to appear before the agency on Tuesday.“We belong to Balasaheb Thackeray. We Sainiks of the Shiv Sena who stepped out for a few days have been called garbage and pigs. Those who have been elected to the Rajya Sabha on our votes are the ones that are using this vitriolic language against us. They are now even baying for our blood,” Shiv Sena MP Deepak Kesarkar, who is the spokesperson of the rebel camp, said in a statement.Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday termed the rebel MLAs as “living corpses who would be sent to a mortuary for post-mortem” on their return from the Assam capital. Raut’s statement had received flak from the Opposition and the Shinde camp, which termed it as a “death threat” to the rebels.🚨 Limited Time Offer | Express Premium with ad-lite for just Rs 2/ day 👉🏽 Click here to subscribe 🚨On Monday, the rebel camp stated that since 2014, when the Sena and the BJP came together after a rift, Raut had been “spraying vitriol” on the BJP government at the Centre.“There was a deliberate attempt to create a division between the BJP and the Shiv Sena by constantly criticising Modi despite having representation in the central government and allying with the BJP in the Maharashtra government. We brought this issue to the notice of the party leadership from time to time. However, it was of no use. Every day extremely vulgar words would be used. Even the Congress and the NCP were not this harsh in their criticism in comparison to Raut and the words that he would use,” Kesarkar said.The letter stated that Raut was being given importance even though he had never contested any Assembly or Lok Sabha election. The rebels claimed that Raut was extremely close to NCP chief Sharad Pawar and was acting at his behest. The rebels also accused Raut of creating a rift between Sena MLAs and party chief, CM Uddhav Thackeray.“You can take the Shiv Sena away from the BJP but if you conspire to wean the Sena off Hindutva, we will not accept it. If the Sena is going to be run as per the wishes of Sanjay Raut, and MLAs like us who have been elected multiple times are pushed away, then what are we expected to do? Sanjay Raut is responsible for the widening gap between us and Udddhav ji. The NCP leaders have used Sanjay Raut’s shoulder to fire the gun against the Sena and weaken it,” Kesarkar said.Raut, 61, is a four-term Rajya Sabha MP. Raut, who started off his career as a journalist, was handpicked by Sena founder Bal Thackeray as the editor of Saamana on May 1, 1991 and was made a member of the Upper House in 2004. He has since been deemed to be part of the inner coterie that surrounds Uddhav Thackeray. His proximity to the Thackerays despite not having a political base of his own had left many Shiv Sena leaders disgruntled. Since the passing of Bal Thackeray, Raut is said to have become one of the most important political counsellors of Uddhav Thackeray. He is also deemed to be the “architect-in-chief” who convinced Uddhav to break bond with the BJP and join the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) — the unlikely triumvirate of the NCP, the Congress and the Shiv Sena. 

Maharashtra BJP tells MLAs to be in Mumbai by tomorrow

The Economic Times | 4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:28 am

The Economic Times

4 hours ago | 28-06-2022 | 12:28 am

Mumbai: The Maharashtra BJP, which till recently was lying low, has finally come out of the shadows. On Monday evening, hours after the Supreme Court in an interim order gave time to the rebel MLAs to avoid disqualification, the BJP called its core committee meeting to discuss the political developments. The BJP, according to sources, has called its MLAs and also independent MLAs to Mumbai by Wednesday.After the meeting, BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar said, "In the light of the current instability in the government, we discussed the role we should be playing and we have decided to continue to wait and see. As soon as the situation changes, the core committee would meet again and take a decision that would benefit the people of the state and to take the state forward."The BJP leader claimed that there was no proposal about government formation or that they had received any proposal from the Eknath Shinde camp for forming a government. But, Mungantiwar's statements and the party asking its MLAs to be in Mumbai was a sign that there could be something in the offing.Mungantiwar said the BJP core committee meeting had taken note of the Shinde group wanting to support a BJP-led government. "The party has noted the demand of the Eknath Shinde group, once more groups come forward, the core committee would once again meet again and then take an appropriate decision. Right now, we have evaluated the situation and have decided to wait and see. In the coming days the BJP will have a discussion on an appropriate step."Mungantiwar said that the party did not agree with the Uddhav Thackeray camp's assertion that the Shinde camp MLAs were rebels. "I don't think it is right to call them as rebels, as they currently have the two-thirds number. The saffron flag that they are holding is bereft of fear, lust or for lobbying power."MORE STORIES FOR YOU✕We've backing of national party, it has assured support: Eknath Shinde to rebel MLAsMaharashtra numbers game: The key points so farMaharashtra political crisis: Rebel Sena MLAs sign letter of support to Eknath Shinde, likely to seek floor test« Back to recommendation storiesI don't want to see these stories becauseThey are not relevant to meThey disrupt the reading flowOthersSUBMITThe BJP leader said that as of today the party does not feel the need to call for a 'floor test' for the MVA government. He, however, added, they haven't got any proposal from the Shiv Sena Group leader Eknath Shinde camp as yet.

More News

Latest News