New Delhi: A Shiv Sena corporator is blaming the rift in the party – fuelled by minister and senior leader Eknath Shinde’s disenchantment – on party MP Sanjay Raut’s “arrogance”.
The anger against Raut seems to have trickled down to the party’s lower ranks and was prominently displayed on pamphlets outside Raut’s Mumbai home on Wednesday.
The pamphlets read: “Your arrogance will last four days, my dear. Our kinship is inherited.”
Maharashtra | A banner, reading 'Your arrogance would last 4 days, our kingship is inherited', seen outside the residence of Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut in Mumbai.
The banner has been put up by Shiv Sena Corporator Deepmala Badhe. pic.twitter.com/N4WkJA0riB
— ANI (@ANI) June 22, 2022
The sheets were signed off by Shiv Sena corporator Deepmala Badhe.
Eknath Shinde rebelled against the Sena top leadership two days ago after rival Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) got an extra seat at the recently-concluded Maharashtra Legislative Council elections — allegedly due to cross-voting.
On 10 June, the BJP had also managed one more Rajya Sabha seat.
Shinde left Maharashtra and stayed in Surat on Tuesday before moving hours later to the other end of the country — Guwahati — with his pack of rebels.
Shinde has claimed the support of 45 to 46 of the 55 Shiv Sena MLAs and has underscored he will not leave the party.
“We haven’t broken away from Shiv Sena nor will we ever. We are following Balasaheb Thackeray’s teachings of Hindutva. We will take Hindutva ahead by staying in Shiv Sena,” he told ThePrint from Guwahati.
Party sources, however, said Shinde has been increasingly unhappy, among other things, with the importance being given to party MP Sanjay Raut.
On Tuesday, as the political drama unfolded in full force, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said Raut had “written the script of this rebellion”.
Patil said “Problems have cropped up in their party due to the instigating statements of Raut. People won’t tolerate that. Eknath Shinde’s rebellion is an example. Sanjay Raut should speak politely. He doesn’t need to speak harshly on every matter.”
On damage-control mode, Sanjay Raut said Wednesday that talks were underway with MLAs who are with Eknath Shinde. “Everybody will stay in the Shiv Sena. Our party is a fighter, we will struggle consistently… at the most, we might lose power but we’ll continue to fight,” he said.
Raut also said Shinde was an old party member, “a friend with whom he has worked for decades”. He added: “It’s neither easy for him nor for us to leave each other. I had a conversation with him for an hour this morning and the party chief was intimated about it.”
Also read: ‘Power can come and go…party’s reputation paramount’ — Sena’s Raut hints at assembly dissolution