Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray challenged Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to have a public debate with him on the question: “Which faction is the real Shiv Sena?”. Thackeray’s comments came even as Narwekar announced last week that the faction led by Shinde was the “real Shiv Sena” when the split happened in 2022.
“We have moved the Supreme Court against the judgement given by those fraud people. I challenge Rahul Narvekar and (Eknath) Shinde to appear before people and answer the question of whom Shiv Sena belongs to,” Thackeray said on Tuesday.
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On January 10, Narwekar held in a long-awaited ruling that the Shinde faction was the real Sena, while dismissing disqualification petitions filed by both Shinde and Thackeray camps against each other’s MLAs following a split in the party in June 2022.
Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena moved the Supreme Court on Monday against the Maharashtra speaker’s order rejecting the plea to disqualify MLAs of Shinde’s faction and declaring the latter as the “real Shiv Sena”.
“I am taking this battle to the people’s court,” Thackeray was quoted by PTI as saying at a press conference in Mumbai.
Before this, Eknath Shinde’s faction had moved the Bombay High Court against the Maharashtra speaker’s decision to not disqualify members of Uddhav Thackeray’s faction of the Shiv Sena.
Amid the political uproar in Maharashtra, Speaker Rahul Narwekar said on Tuesday that for the last six days, “some political leaders and workers have been misleading people about my judgment”. He accused Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders of “using derogatory language” against him. “They don’t even respect the Assembly speaker. It’s really harmful to the democratic structure,” Narwekar said.
“The Supreme Court never said that appointment of Bharat Gogawale as whip (of Shinde faction) was wrong. SC said that the speaker must recognise the real Shiv Sena. Because I received claims from both sides, I gave my judgement according to the Supreme Court order,” Narwekar was quoted by ANI as saying.
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Published: 16 Jan 2024, 07:00 PM IST