Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 24 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Wednesday said that "justice is expected" as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla called a meeting of Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs amid the ongoing political developments following the split in the party's Lok Sabha unit.
The meeting, scheduled for 5 pm later in the day, comes after the split within the Shiv Sena (UBT) in the Lok Sabha, where six MPs had formally joined the Shiv Sena led by Eknath Shinde, marking what has been described as "Operation Tiger."
Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs Arvind Sawant and Anil Desai are expected to meet the Speaker and present their side of the issue, including requesting that recognition not be granted to the rebel faction of MPs.
Speaking on the issue, Aaditya Thackeray said, "Justice is expected."
Earlier, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut had intensified his attack on the rebel MPs, calling for a "fight against traitors of Maharashtra" after the split, further escalating the political tensions within the party.
The Speaker's intervention comes amid ongoing uncertainty over the status of six Shiv Sena (UBT) Lok Sabha MPs -- Sanjay Haribhau Jadhav, Bhausaheb Rajaram Wakchaure, Omprakash Bhupalsingh Nimbalkar, Sanjay Dina Patil, Sanjay Uttamrao Deshmukh and Nagesh Bapurao Patil Ashtikar -- who joined the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.
Meanwhile, Aaditya Thackeray also hit out at the BJP over the handling of civic issues in Mumbai amid heavy monsoon rains. Speaking to reporters, he accused the BJP of focusing on "contractors and builders" instead of citizens, and criticised the administration's response to waterlogging in the city.
He also referred to Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde's recent inspection of waterlogged areas, alleging that she "cares about Dhaka more than Mumbai".
"The BJP only cares about contractors and builders, not about common citizens during the rain. Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde cares about Dhaka more than Mumbai," he said.
"You must have seen that Mumbai was flooded today in the first rain. The BJP has done only one thing: the entire focus of the BJP Mayor was on Dhaka, Bangladesh, but he forgot Mumbai," he later told ANI.
Additionally, Thackeray reacted to a proposal to rename Mumbai's KEM Hospital, alleging that the BJP holds "grudges" against institutions associated with Mumbai's legacy.
"Whoever praises Mumbai or serves Mumbai, the BJP has some grudge against them. The BJP's only regret is that Mumbai has been served by that hospital, and this is the problem the BJP has. There are many BJP MLAs who have no attachment to Mumbai or Maharashtra, and only such people can talk like this about the state of Mumbai," he said.
On the proposed Uniform Civil Code (UCC) in Maharashtra, Thackeray said, "First, let them table the UCC. We will see the merits of the bill, but uniformity has to be in everything. Let them also show how uniform the ED, IT, and CBI raids have been. Let them show how MPLAD funds have been unifiedly given."
He also commented on the hearing in the alleged Ayodhya Ram Mandir donation embezzlement case, saying, "Let's see what comes out of it and how serious the government is in taking action on it." (ANI)
