MUMBAI: Shiv Sena mouthpiece Saamana on Tuesday claimed that nine Lok Sabha MPs and 22 MLAs of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena are unhappy with the step-motherly treatment by the BJP and are planning to desert the Shinde-led group.
An article in the mouthpiece said that Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena “has self-respect; therefore it parted ways with the BJP (the ally of the Shinde faction).” “The Shinde group’s Lok Sabha MP Gajanan Kirtikar said he was unhappy with the BJP because of the step-motherly treatment given to many like him. The BJP has used the ‘use and throw’ policy. It means BJP has used Shinde’s 40 MLAs and now wants to dump them,” stated the article.
It further stated that MLAs in the Shinde-led Shiv Sena have lost confidence in BJP and are feeling that they can no longer stay with the BJP. “It also proves that you cannot buy pride and self-respect,” read the article.
The Thackeray-headed Shiv Sena exited the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2019 and joined hands with the Congress and Nationalist Congress Party to form a government in Maharashtra. “The Shinde-led Sena is demanding 22 Lok Sabha seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but the BJP is in no mood to concede. Therefore, there is unrest among the MLAs belonging to the Shinde faction,” the article said.
After the Supreme Court verdict, the Shinde-led Sena’s 16 MLAs and 13 Lok Sabha MPs are likely to get disqualified. “Sooner than later, the BJP will desert these MLAs and MPs. The BJP had badly treated Uddhav and his party.
The same feelings are now expressed by the Shinde-led Sena MPs and MLAs,” the article said. Targeting Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the article claimed he has become the “driver” of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, which means all powers of the state government lie with the BJP leader.
