News Analysis India

Tag: Aaditya Thackeray

  • Aaditya takes part in Bharat Jodo Yatra, marches along with Rahul in Maha’s Hingoli

    By PTI

    HINGOLI: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray joined the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra at Kalamnuri in Hingoli, where the march arrived during the day from neighbouring Nanded district, and walked along Rahul Gandhi.

    was joined by party colleagues Ambadas Danve, who is the leader of the opposition in the state Legislative Council, and former MLA Sachin Ahir.

    They walked along Gandhi, who is leading the cross-country foot march which has entered the 65th day. The Congress MP from Kerala and Aaditya Thackeray waved to people assembled along the route.

    Flowers were showered on the participants in Seni village in Nanded’s Ardhapur taluka, with the march entering the Hingoli district at Choramba Phata.

    In Hingoli, a group of people who arrived to cheer the march, including a large number of women and children, even brought an elephant along.

    भारत जोड़ो यात्रा में शामिल हुए आदित्य ठाकरे.. pic.twitter.com/dpXy1iJvfy
    — Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) November 11, 2022
    Among those who stood along the route and shouted slogans in support of the march and sought implementation of ‘One Rank One Pension’ (ORO) were 22 former servicemen.

    “We feel the Congress can fulfil this demand (OROP),” said former Army man Sahebrao Hone.

    Gandhi interacted with people along the route of the march. On Thursday, Nationalist Congress Party leaders Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad had taken part in the march.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with NCP leader Supriya Sule and Bollywood actor Sushant Singh during Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Nanded district, Maharashtra, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 | PTI

    While NCP chief Sharad Pawar was invited to join the yatra, he could not participate due to ill health.

    Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has been also invited to take part in the march during its Maharashtra leg.

    HINGOLI: Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader and former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray joined the Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra at Kalamnuri in Hingoli, where the march arrived during the day from neighbouring Nanded district, and walked along Rahul Gandhi.

    was joined by party colleagues Ambadas Danve, who is the leader of the opposition in the state Legislative Council, and former MLA Sachin Ahir.

    They walked along Gandhi, who is leading the cross-country foot march which has entered the 65th day. The Congress MP from Kerala and Aaditya Thackeray waved to people assembled along the route.

    Flowers were showered on the participants in Seni village in Nanded’s Ardhapur taluka, with the march entering the Hingoli district at Choramba Phata.

    In Hingoli, a group of people who arrived to cheer the march, including a large number of women and children, even brought an elephant along.

    भारत जोड़ो यात्रा में शामिल हुए आदित्य ठाकरे.. pic.twitter.com/dpXy1iJvfy
    — Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) November 11, 2022
    Among those who stood along the route and shouted slogans in support of the march and sought implementation of ‘One Rank One Pension’ (ORO) were 22 former servicemen.

    “We feel the Congress can fulfil this demand (OROP),” said former Army man Sahebrao Hone.

    Gandhi interacted with people along the route of the march. On Thursday, Nationalist Congress Party leaders Supriya Sule and Jitendra Awhad had taken part in the march.

    Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with NCP leader Supriya Sule and Bollywood actor Sushant Singh during Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Nanded district, Maharashtra, Thursday, Nov. 10, 2022 | PTI

    While NCP chief Sharad Pawar was invited to join the yatra, he could not participate due to ill health.

    Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray has been also invited to take part in the march during its Maharashtra leg.

  • Vedanta-Foxconn row: Aaditya Thackeray blames Shinde govt, Sena rebels for loss of project

    By PTI

    PUNE: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at the Eknath Shinde-led state government for Vedanta-Foxconn’s decision to set up its semiconductor plant in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra.

    The project went out of Maharashtra after the Shinde-led rebel Shiv Sena MLAs toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, he said.

    The Shiv Sena and its youth wing Yuva Sena on Saturday organized a protest over the loss of the semiconductor project at Talegaon in Pune district, the site where it was supposed to come up.

    “Rebel legislators betrayed not just the party but even the state’s youth by enabling the Vedanta-Foxconn project to go out of the state,” Aaditya Thackeray said, addressing the protesters. The Shinde government wasn’t a ‘sarkar’ but a circus, he quipped.

    Even its industry minister didn’t know that the state had lost the Vedanta as well as a bulk drugs park project, he claimed.

    “After the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the Vedanta project also went out of the state. Those who betrayed the Shiv Sena first went to Gujarat before going to Guwahati,” Aaditya said.

    Shinde, a senior Sena leader, and the MLAs who supported him had camped in Guwahati for around ten days after he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in June.

    “I don’t blame the Gujarat government or the Centre (for the loss of the project). It is this state government which allowed the project to slip out of Maharashtra,” Aaditya Thackeray further said.

    It had been almost finalized during a meeting at Davos in May this year that the project would be set up in Maharashtra, he claimed.

    “During this period, the 40 traitors were planning to rebel,” he said, adding that MVA government had offered subsidy of Rs 10,000 crore to Vedanta-Foxconn and Talegaon was a perfect site with good connectivity.

    PUNE: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday lashed out at the Eknath Shinde-led state government for Vedanta-Foxconn’s decision to set up its semiconductor plant in Gujarat instead of Maharashtra.

    The project went out of Maharashtra after the Shinde-led rebel Shiv Sena MLAs toppled the Maha Vikas Aghadi government headed by Uddhav Thackeray, he said.

    The Shiv Sena and its youth wing Yuva Sena on Saturday organized a protest over the loss of the semiconductor project at Talegaon in Pune district, the site where it was supposed to come up.

    “Rebel legislators betrayed not just the party but even the state’s youth by enabling the Vedanta-Foxconn project to go out of the state,” Aaditya Thackeray said, addressing the protesters. The Shinde government wasn’t a ‘sarkar’ but a circus, he quipped.

    Even its industry minister didn’t know that the state had lost the Vedanta as well as a bulk drugs park project, he claimed.

    “After the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, the Vedanta project also went out of the state. Those who betrayed the Shiv Sena first went to Gujarat before going to Guwahati,” Aaditya said.

    Shinde, a senior Sena leader, and the MLAs who supported him had camped in Guwahati for around ten days after he rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray in June.

    “I don’t blame the Gujarat government or the Centre (for the loss of the project). It is this state government which allowed the project to slip out of Maharashtra,” Aaditya Thackeray further said.

    It had been almost finalized during a meeting at Davos in May this year that the project would be set up in Maharashtra, he claimed.

    “During this period, the 40 traitors were planning to rebel,” he said, adding that MVA government had offered subsidy of Rs 10,000 crore to Vedanta-Foxconn and Talegaon was a perfect site with good connectivity.

  • Vedanta-Foxconn: Aaditya hits back at Fadnavis, says Maha also ‘no Pakistan’

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday hit back at Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his “Gujarat is no Pakistan” comment amid a row over the shifting of the Vendanta-Foxconn project to the neighbouring state.

    Aaditya, a former minister, asked whether Maharashtra is Pakistan to take away the project to Gujarat.

    “Is Maharashtra Pakistan that you drove the project to Gujarat? What mistake has the youth of Maharashtra done?” questioned Aaditya.

    He was speaking at an event to pay respect to social reformer and his great-grandfather Keshav Thackeray, also known as Prabhodankar Thackeray.

    Fadnavis on Friday said the neighbouring state was “no Pakistan”, and also accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of graft.

    “Gujarat is no Pakistan. It is our brother. This is a healthy competition. We want to get ahead of Karnataka, and everyone. The Opposition’s policy was to stop everything, and with such policy, Maharashtra could not beat Gujarat,” the senior BJP leader had said.

    The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government has been facing flak after Vedanta-Foxconn chose Gujarat to set up its multi-billion semiconductor plant.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar on Thursday demanded an investigation by a retired judge into the entire episode.

    He had also taken a dig at the previous MVA government, saying it had offered tax concessions on foreign liquor instead of for the project, and if it had done so, the project would have remained in Maharashtra.

    Without naming Shelar, Aaditya also asked whether raising the issues of Maharashtra was a crime.

    “Whoever speaks is being probed or allegations are levelled against him. Is strengthening the voice of Maharashtra a crime? Whom are you going to probe? The Centre or (Anil) Agarwal (the chairman of Vedanta),” he said.

    MUMBAI: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Saturday hit back at Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis over his “Gujarat is no Pakistan” comment amid a row over the shifting of the Vendanta-Foxconn project to the neighbouring state.

    Aaditya, a former minister, asked whether Maharashtra is Pakistan to take away the project to Gujarat.

    “Is Maharashtra Pakistan that you drove the project to Gujarat? What mistake has the youth of Maharashtra done?” questioned Aaditya.

    He was speaking at an event to pay respect to social reformer and his great-grandfather Keshav Thackeray, also known as Prabhodankar Thackeray.

    Fadnavis on Friday said the neighbouring state was “no Pakistan”, and also accused the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government of graft.

    “Gujarat is no Pakistan. It is our brother. This is a healthy competition. We want to get ahead of Karnataka, and everyone. The Opposition’s policy was to stop everything, and with such policy, Maharashtra could not beat Gujarat,” the senior BJP leader had said.

    The Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis government has been facing flak after Vedanta-Foxconn chose Gujarat to set up its multi-billion semiconductor plant.

    Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashish Shelar on Thursday demanded an investigation by a retired judge into the entire episode.

    He had also taken a dig at the previous MVA government, saying it had offered tax concessions on foreign liquor instead of for the project, and if it had done so, the project would have remained in Maharashtra.

    Without naming Shelar, Aaditya also asked whether raising the issues of Maharashtra was a crime.

    “Whoever speaks is being probed or allegations are levelled against him. Is strengthening the voice of Maharashtra a crime? Whom are you going to probe? The Centre or (Anil) Agarwal (the chairman of Vedanta),” he said.

  • One engine of double-engine govt has failed: Aaditya’s dig at Shinde govt over Vedanta-Foxconn project

    By PTI

    RATNAGIRI: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday took a dig at the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over Vedanta-Foxconn choosing Gujarat over Maharashtra to set up its semiconductor plant, saying that “one engine of the double-engine government has failed”.

    Addressing party workers in Ratnagiri as part of the ‘Shiv Samvad Yatra’, the home district of rebel Sena MLA and state Industries Minister Uday Samant, Thackeray said the CM, as well as the minister, were clueless about the details of the project.

    “How did the project go out of Maharashtra when we had done so much follow-up with Vedanta? The chief minister and the industries minister were clueless about this,” Thackeray said in the rally.

    In any other state, the chief minister would have asked for the industries minister’s resignation, he said. He said the state government was also unaware that a bulk drug park also slipped out of the hands of the state and is coming up in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. “How did one engine of the double-engine government fail?” he asked.

    Double engine government is the term the BJP uses for its government at the Centre and another in the state which it claims can help in seamless development. He said the state government was also unaware of another project by Airbus, which could come up in Nagpur. It was only after he raised the issue that the state government woke up and said they will ensure that it comes up in the state.

    Thackeray also trained his guns at the rebel MLAs led by Shinde and said they “back-stabbed” his father and the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray when he was ailing.

    A political blame game started after Vedanta-Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government on Tuesday to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

    As per the MoU, the joint venture of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn will set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

    Vedanta-Foxconn would invest Rs 1,54,000 crore to set up the facility, which is expected to create one lakh job opportunities.

    RATNAGIRI: Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday took a dig at the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over Vedanta-Foxconn choosing Gujarat over Maharashtra to set up its semiconductor plant, saying that “one engine of the double-engine government has failed”.

    Addressing party workers in Ratnagiri as part of the ‘Shiv Samvad Yatra’, the home district of rebel Sena MLA and state Industries Minister Uday Samant, Thackeray said the CM, as well as the minister, were clueless about the details of the project.

    “How did the project go out of Maharashtra when we had done so much follow-up with Vedanta? The chief minister and the industries minister were clueless about this,” Thackeray said in the rally.

    In any other state, the chief minister would have asked for the industries minister’s resignation, he said. He said the state government was also unaware that a bulk drug park also slipped out of the hands of the state and is coming up in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat. “How did one engine of the double-engine government fail?” he asked.

    Double engine government is the term the BJP uses for its government at the Centre and another in the state which it claims can help in seamless development. He said the state government was also unaware of another project by Airbus, which could come up in Nagpur. It was only after he raised the issue that the state government woke up and said they will ensure that it comes up in the state.

    Thackeray also trained his guns at the rebel MLAs led by Shinde and said they “back-stabbed” his father and the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray when he was ailing.

    A political blame game started after Vedanta-Foxconn signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Gujarat government on Tuesday to set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

    As per the MoU, the joint venture of the Indian conglomerate Vedanta and Taiwanese electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn will set up a semiconductor and display manufacturing unit in the state.

    Vedanta-Foxconn would invest Rs 1,54,000 crore to set up the facility, which is expected to create one lakh job opportunities.

  • ‘Everyone knows who the real CM is’: Aaditya Thackeray’s dig at Eknath Shinde

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: In a searing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said everyone knows who is the “real chief minister”, apparently alluding to the clout of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP in the new dispensation.

    Taking a dig at the cabinet expansion, Aaditya Thackeray said the ministerial team has neither heard Mumbai’s voice nor the voice of women or Independent MLAs.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine MLAs each of the rebel Shiv Sena camp and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is supporting his government.

    No woman legislator or Independent was inducted in the Cabinet whose strength is now 20.

    The first 14 to 15 MLAs who aligned with Shinde when he revolted against the Shiv Sena leadership in June have not found a place in the Cabinet.

    “So there is no place for loyalty,” Aaditya Thackeray, a former minister, mocked while talking to reporters outside the state legislature.

    “Everyone now knows who the real chief minister is,” he said in an apparent reference to Fadnavis, who holds home, finance and a host of other key portfolios.

    Post the expansion, the Shiv Sena faction led by party president Uddhav Thackeray had criticised the Shinde government, saying crucial portfolios have been allocated to the BJP.

    “Independents have not got any place. Women have not got any place in the Cabinet nor has Mumbai,” said the junior Thackeray.

    The lone Cabinet minister from the metropolis is Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the BJP MLA from Malabar Hill in south Mumbai.

    Nearly 10 independent MLAs had backed Shinde after he rebelled against the party.

    Aaditya Thackeray said those who have got a place in the Cabinet have been “downgraded”, a reference to rebel Sena MLAs who have got portfolios considered lightweight.

    Attacking the 40 rebel Sena MLAs, he said, “They stabbed a kind person (Uddhav Thackeray) in the back. Doors are open for those who want to come back, but those who want to stay there must quit as MLA.”

    The junior Thackeray has been consistently assailing the rebels since the June revolt, branding them as ‘gaddars’ (traitors).

    The rebellion in the Shiv Sena had led to the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June-end.

    MUMBAI: In a searing attack on the Eknath Shinde-led government in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said everyone knows who is the “real chief minister”, apparently alluding to the clout of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of the BJP in the new dispensation.

    Taking a dig at the cabinet expansion, Aaditya Thackeray said the ministerial team has neither heard Mumbai’s voice nor the voice of women or Independent MLAs.

    Chief Minister Eknath Shinde last week expanded his Cabinet, inducting nine MLAs each of the rebel Shiv Sena camp and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is supporting his government.

    No woman legislator or Independent was inducted in the Cabinet whose strength is now 20.

    The first 14 to 15 MLAs who aligned with Shinde when he revolted against the Shiv Sena leadership in June have not found a place in the Cabinet.

    “So there is no place for loyalty,” Aaditya Thackeray, a former minister, mocked while talking to reporters outside the state legislature.

    “Everyone now knows who the real chief minister is,” he said in an apparent reference to Fadnavis, who holds home, finance and a host of other key portfolios.

    Post the expansion, the Shiv Sena faction led by party president Uddhav Thackeray had criticised the Shinde government, saying crucial portfolios have been allocated to the BJP.

    “Independents have not got any place. Women have not got any place in the Cabinet nor has Mumbai,” said the junior Thackeray.

    The lone Cabinet minister from the metropolis is Mangal Prabhat Lodha, the BJP MLA from Malabar Hill in south Mumbai.

    Nearly 10 independent MLAs had backed Shinde after he rebelled against the party.

    Aaditya Thackeray said those who have got a place in the Cabinet have been “downgraded”, a reference to rebel Sena MLAs who have got portfolios considered lightweight.

    Attacking the 40 rebel Sena MLAs, he said, “They stabbed a kind person (Uddhav Thackeray) in the back. Doors are open for those who want to come back, but those who want to stay there must quit as MLA.”

    The junior Thackeray has been consistently assailing the rebels since the June revolt, branding them as ‘gaddars’ (traitors).

    The rebellion in the Shiv Sena had led to the collapse of the three-party Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government in June-end.

  • Despite betrayal by those whom Sena trusted, grassroot Shiv Sainiks still with party: Aaditya Thackeray

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday claimed the grassroot Shiv Sena workers were firmly with the organisation, despite “betrayal” by those whom the party trusted.

    Speaking in Mumbai’s northern suburb Dahisar as part of his ‘Nishtha (loyalty) Yatra’, Aaditya Thackeray said those who wanted to leave the Sena have gone, but the grassroot Shiv Sainiks continue to support the party, led by his father and former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray.

    Last month, a majority of the Sena MLAs, led by Eknath Shinde, rebelled against the party leadership, asking it to snap ties with the NCP and the Congress. The revolt in the party led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led government.

    On June 30, Shinde was sworn in as the chief minister, while BJP’s Devendra Fadnavis took oath as the deputy CM.

    Since the revolt, both the factions, led by Uddhav Thackeray and CM Shinde, have repeatedly claimed to be the real Shiv Sena.

    “In each constituency, we have two to three formidable Shiv Sainiks men and women who are ready to take on political rivals at the hustings,” said Sena MLA Aaditya Thackeray.

    Later, talking to reporters, the former minister said the Shiv Sena has been “betrayed” by those it trusted. “Those who are happy to leave should have the guts to face fresh elections.

    The doors of ‘Matoshree’ (the private residence of Thackerays in suburban Bandra) are open to all those who wish to return,” he said.

  • Notice issued to MLAs of Uddhav camp for not voting for Shinde in trust vote, Aaditya excluded

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: After winning the trust vote in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the Eknath Shinde faction of Shiv Sena on Monday night issued a notice to 14 legislators from the Uddhav Thackeray camp for violating a whip issued by Shiv Sena chief whip and Shinde loyalist Bharat Gogawale.

    The notice, however, excluded the name of Aaditya Thackeray, son of party chief Uddhav Thackeray, “out of respect”. The whip issued by Gogawale had asked all the MLAs of Shiv Sena to vote for Eknath Shinde in the trust vote.

    Gogawale was recognised as the chief whip of Shiv Sena by Maharashtra Speaker Rahul Narvekar on Sunday, a day before the floor test.

    “It is true that we have issued a notice for the violation of the whip to Shiv Sena MLAs who did not vote for CM Shinde. However, we have omitted the name of Aaditya from it out of respect,” Gogawale told PTI.

    He said all Shiv Sena MLAs, including those in the Uddhav Thackeray camp, had worked together for a long time with Uddhav and Aaditya Thackeray. “We respect them. But they should have addressed our concerns,” he added.

    The Shiv Sena had 55 MLAs before the rebellion in the 288-member Assembly, whose current strength is 287 due to the death of a Sena legislator.

    In the trust vote, 164 MLAs voted for the motion of confidence while 99 voted against it.

  • Shiv Sena’s new suave face Aaditya Thackeray leads aggressive counter-charge against party rebels

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: As the Shiv Sena faces perhaps its worst crisis since its inception with a rebellion by majority of legislators, Maharashtra minister and the party’s youth wing leader Aaditya Thackeray is spearheading a counter-attack.

    The tone and tenor of the Thackeray family scion, usually known as the Sena’s new suave face, has changed in the last few days.

    When former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray appealed to rebel legislators who are camping in Guwahati to return, their leader Eknath Shinde said while the Sena chief was seeking reconciliation, his son Aaditya had labelled them as “dirt from a nullah.”

    With as many as 39 Sena MLAs deserting the Thackerays, 32-year-old Aaditya has addressed party workers at multiple places, from Karjat in neighbouring Raigad district to Sena strongholds of Byculla, Kalina and Dadar in Mumbai.

    The Yuva Sena led by Aaditya has also been at the forefront of protests against the rebel MLAs.

    On the night when the Thackerays left `Varsha,’ the official residence of the chief minister, and moved back to their personal residence `Matoshree’, they received a grand farewell all through the route.

    To pacify swelling crowds, Aaditya again emerged out of Matoshree and waved at party supporters while showing his fist.

    In his speeches, he has been calling the rebel MLAs “traitors”.

    “Dirt has gone from the party. Now we can do something good,” he said on Monday.

    “When allegations (of the rebels) target his father, he is bound to spearhead the attack against the rebels and he is doing it,” Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande told PTI.

    Sena MLA Ravindra Waikar, known to be close to the Thackerays and who is still by their side, said there was anger against the rebels and Aaditya has been meeting party workers and rallying support.

    Sanjay Patil, a researcher with the Department of Civics and Politics in Mumbai, said Aaditya has been, in a way, leading the party for the last few months, as Uddhav Thackeray is plagued by health issues.

    The chief minister underwent a spine surgery last November and operated from home for several weeks.

    Aaditya also plays a key role in decision-making within the party, Patil said.

    In 2019, Aaditya became only the second person from the Thackeray family to contest polls.

    His aunt Shalini had contested an election on the ticket of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, led by his estranged uncle Raj Thackeray.

    After the Sena formed an unlikely alliance with Congress and NCP in 2019 after ditching the BJP, Aaditya Thackeray, a first-time MLA, was made minister in his father’s cabinet, and given charge of the Tourism, Environment and Protocol departments.

    “The recent aggression must be stemming from the do-or-die situation the party is facing now and also (it comes) at a time when attempts are being made to erase the identity of the party by people who have been close to his family,” Patil said.

    Since he became a minister, Aaditya has also faced criticism for moving around in Mumbai’s elite circles rather than connecting with the Sena’s mass base.

    Last month BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis called him a “Mercedes baby” who can not appreciate the struggle of the Karsevaks who took part in the agitation for Ram temple in Ayodhya.

    Thackeray had reportedly ridiculed Fadnavis over the latter’s claim that he was present when the Babri Masjid was demolished in 1992.

    “These Mercedes babies, born with golden spoon in the mouth, never had to do any struggle, nor did they see any struggle,” Fadnavis had hit back.

  • Shiv Sena crisis: PIL seeks FIR against Thackerays, Sanjay Raut; Thane leaders supporting Eknath Shinde removed from party

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: A public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, minister Aaditya Thackeray and Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut for sedition and breach of public peace was filed in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday amid a standoff between the MVA government and the rebel Sena MLAs.

    The petition, filed by Pune-based social worker Hemant Patil, requested the HC to restrain the trio from making any further statements against Eknath Shinde, who is leading the dissident MLAs.

    The petition claimed that pursuant to the rebellion by several MLAs of Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, protests have been held at various districts in Maharashtra and verbal attacks have been made against them.

    “The Shiv Sena MLAs, who are rebelling, are camped in Assam because of the threats given by respondents 5 to 7 (Uddhav Thackeray, Aaditya Thackeray and Sanjay Raut). Respondent No.7 (Raut) has given a threat to all of the 40 MLAs stating that their bodies will come from Assam and will be sent directly to the morgue for postmortem. In this way all of them are creating the situation of riot and violence in the State of Maharashtra,” it said.

    The PIL will come up for hearing in due course of time.

    On the other hand, former Thane mayor and Shiv Sena coordinator in the district Meenakshi Shinde has been expelled from the party amid a rebellion by Eknath Shinde.

    She was being expelled for anti-party activities on the directions of party president (and chief minister) Uddhav Thackeray, a Sena statement issued here on Tuesday said.

    Earlier, another former Thane mayor, Naresh Mhaske, and coordinator Rahul Londe were expelled from the party.

    All these leaders have been actively taking part in rallies and gatherings in support of Eknath Shinde.

    In another development, the photographs of Eknath Shinde and his Lok Sabha MP son Shrikant Shinde have been removed from the Sena office in Dombivali, and others are expected to follow suit.

  • ED action on Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut: Vindictive politics, says Maharashtra Minister Aaditya Thackeray

    By PTI

    PUNE: Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday said the ED action against his party colleague and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut was “vindictive politics”.

    The Enforcement Directorate has attached eight land parcels in Alibaug and a flat in Mumbai’s Dadar suburb linked to Raut and his family under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act, officials had said earlier in the day.

    Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an alternate fuel event here, Thackeray also said all constituents of the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi were standing strongly with each other.

    “It is clear cut this (ED action) is happening with a political motive. It is happening due to vindictive politics. Whatever is happening in our country, it is certainly not an atmosphere of democracy, an atmosphere of politics. There is an atmosphere of pressure politics,” said Thackeray.

    If such acts continued, there was a scope to think if there was democracy left in the country, the Sena minister said.

    “Earlier, someone in a public rally said if you do not vote for a particular party, an inquiry will be initiated. If common people are being given such threats, there is a need to think if democracy still exists,” he added.