Shiv Sena asserts 'all oppn parties have become united' as rebellion threatens MVA future

Taking a jibe at rebel legislators who have triggered a political crisis in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena on Saturday quipped that they are in Guwahati for attending a "Yoga camp". Penning an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Saturday, Executive Editor Sanjay Raut also took a swipe at Eknath Shinde for conceding in a video that a 'Mahashakti' i.e BJP is helping them. Lamenting that the rebels chose to turn a blind eye to the manner in which the JP Nadda-led party is trying to grab power, he asserted that all opposition parties in India have united against this style of functioning. 

Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut remarked, "Which new proofs about India teaching a lesson to Pakistan have come fore in the Guwahati Yoga Shivir? Pakistan's infiltration in Kashmir continues but Hindus are being killed on a large scale. Hindus migrated and cursed BJP. Kashmiri Hindus have to run away despite a so-called pro-Hindutva government in Delhi- is this your Mahashakti? If India would have really taught a lesson to Pakistan, Hindu blood wouldn't have flown in Kashmir." 

"One thing is sure. All the opposition parties in the country have become united owing to the Yoga Shivir. The country is united against the approach of grabbing power in one way or the other, buying people's loyalty and opening a market for MLAs. The glorious rays of the new struggle will emerge from this. The world greets the rising sun, but there is darkness regarding this in the Guwahati Yoga Shivir," he added. 

Rebellion in Shiv Sena

In a massive political development on Tuesday, senior Shiv Sena leader Eknath Shinde and multiple other party MLAs went incommunicado and went to the Le Meridian hotel in Surat. This came in the wake of several Sena MLAs cross-voting for BJP in the MLC polls. Subsequently, Shinde was replaced as the Legislative Party leader by MLA Ajay Choudhari- an indication that the Sena is unwilling to accept any demands of the rebels. The problem compounded for the MVA as the rebel MLAs moved further away to Guwahati in the wee hours of Wednesday.

Thereafter, Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray offered to resign provided even one Shiv Sena MLA comes back to Mumbai and makes such a demand in face-to-face interaction. As of now, Eknath Shinde has claimed to have the support of over 50 MLAs with at least 38 Shiv Sena legislators reaching Guwahati. Besides him, the Sena has sought the disqualification of Chimanrao Patil, Balaji Kalyankar, Sanjay Raimulkar, Ramesh Bornare, Mahesh Shinde, Abdul Sattar, Sandipanrao Bhumre, Bharatshet Gogawale, Sanjay Shirsat, Yamini Jadhav, Lata Sonawane, Anil Bhabhar, Tanaji Sawant, Balaji Kinikar and Prakash Surve.