The Thackeray faction of the Shiv Sena is still reeling from the jolt of losing their MLAs to Eknath Shinde and yet have decided to put up a brave front. When News18 met with former minister and Uddhav Thackeray’s son, Aaditya, during a brief interaction, the young Sena leader exuded confidence in winning the cadre and leaders back.
Having portrayed this, one could also see a calculated approach in showing his “utmost dissent” to now Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde, the man who let Uddhav Thackeray down and brought down the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
When News18 asked Aaditya about Sena’s plans after Shinde won the trust vote, the young leader said there was nothing that can stop the Shiv Sena (their camp).
“Only onwards and upwards,” Aaditya told News18, not wanting to reveal their next course of action.
On their fight for the party symbol, Aaditya took a pause and said “have patience” before briskly walking out of the Vidhan Sabha complex in Mumbai.
Aaditya has clearly intensified his battle against those who “stabbed on the back” and made no bones of showing it on camera.
On two major occasions — first being the election of the speaker, and the second being the trust vote for the Shinde government — Aaditya walked out of the assembly proceedings when the new CM rose to speak.
The former minister also took the chance of expressing his displeasure with Prakash Surve, one of the rebel Shiv Sea leaders, in the presence of the media. In a video, Aaditya was seen confronting Surve for choosing to support Shinde.
“What will you tell your constituents? We thought you were returning to us. You were one among us. This was not expected of you. There is so much love that we, all of us, have for you. We share a special bond and I personally felt bad,” Aaditya said.
His statement comes hours after another Uddhav Thackeray faction’s Sena leader, Santosh Bangar, was found travelling with the rival Shinde camp on the bus to the assembly ahead of the trust vote.
Days before the trust vote, Bangar was seen weeping and saying tears had come to his eyes after what happened to Uddhav Thackeray. Bangar rallied for Uddhav and urged him to forge ahead despite the betrayal.
According to sources, the father-son duo have been holding hour-long meetings with the remaining MLAs, supporting ‘Shakha Pramukhs’ and corporators to decide on the road ahead.
“Many have told us that this is the end of the Sena. This is the legacy of Balasaheb and it is for eternity,” a Shiv Sena corporator from south Mumbai told News18. The leader also confirmed that the Uddhav-led Sena group has decided to take on the BMC elections and use the results to show the strength and influence they wield.
The rebellion within the Sena that has created the two camps over who the real torchbearer of Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy is has clearly left the cadre rattled.
A Sena corporator told News18 that although the cadre is shaken, they are quite clear on whose side they are. “The Shiv Sainiks are with Uddhav Thackeray. They know the work their leader Uddhav has put in. The cadre feels let down as well. We know what needs to be done now,” the leader said.
Aaditya has been tasked with keeping the cadre together and re-infuse his grandfather’s, Bal Thackeray, ideologies and dreams to bring back their lost glory, said another Shiv Sena leader on the young leader’s future prospects.
Interestingly, one of the first posts by Aaditya, the after the fall of the MVA-led government, was of his father and former chief minister, Uddhav, walking away. Aaditya wrote, “Always important to follow the right footsteps.”
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