Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded the immediate disqualification of six party MPs who recently defected to the Eknath Shinde-led camp, alleging that their switch was part of a larger political conspiracy.
Addressing a rally in Parbhani, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister said the Lok Sabha Speaker must uphold the rule of law regarding the defections and alleged that the BJP’s central leadership was systematically “clipping the wings" of its own state leaders.
He attacked the BJP over the Ram Mandir donation embezzlement issue, accusing the saffron party of exploiting the temple for political gain, labelling it the “Babur Janata Party".
“Babur demolished the Ram Mandir. A ‘Babur Janata Party’ has now come to loot the newly constructed temple. What is the difference between them?" he questioned.
Thackeray stated that MPs loyal to the Shiv Sena (UBT) had submitted a formal representation to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking an opportunity to present their side, noting that party MP Arvind Sawant had cut short an official visit to Kargil after the Speaker advanced the date of the hearing.
“If there is a rule of law in this country, these six MPs should be disqualified. I still believe in the Lok Sabha Speaker because if he does not follow the law, he cannot ask others to follow it. We respect his authority, not his wishes," he said.
Earlier this week, six rebel Lok Sabha members of the Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the ruling Shiv Sena led by Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. They had won against the BJP and Shiv Sena candidates in the 2024 General Election. The Shiv Sena (UBT) had won nine Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra in 2024.
Thackeray has undertaken a tour of the constituencies represented by the rebel MPs. Sanjay Jadhav, one of the rebel lawmakers, is from Parbhani.
The Sena UBT chief alleged that the defections were part of a “bigger political game" he termed “Operation Devendra", aimed at sidelining Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, just as the party had done to other leaders in the past.
“The people voted against the Modi wave here (Parbhani). Now, the MP who won against that wave has crossed over. This is not a mere rebellion, but a bigger political game," he alleged.
Thackeray claimed the BJP’s central leadership sidelines potential prime ministerial contenders, citing Union ministers Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Nitin Gadkari, and Fadnavis as examples.
He alleged that Fadnavis appeared “helpless" during a recent flight they shared because “his own bosses were clipping his wings".
Targeting Eknath Shinde, Thackeray claimed that the Deputy Chief Minister had “no future" in the BJP-led alliance and would be “thrown away after being used".
He further questioned the source of the rebel MPs’ wealth, pointing to their travel in private jets, and accused them of ignoring the plight of farmers. He specifically recalled his visit to Parbhani following last year’s crop damage, alleging that the rebel MP Sanjay Jadhav had remained absent.
Rebutting claims that his faction had abandoned his father Balasaheb Thackeray’s ideology, he pointed out that his party had won four Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra compared to the BJP’s two.
He also alleged that the BJP only embraced Hindutva after the 1987 Vile Parle bypoll, having previously followed “Gandhian socialism" and distanced itself from the demolition of the Babri Masjid.
Addressing the criticism regarding his own party’s struggle, Thackeray retorted, “I am criticised and asked to introspect on why my party is suffering. Introspection should not be done by Uddhav Thackeray alone, but by everyone, including those who criticise me. A case regarding our party’s split is pending before the Supreme Court. Why is nobody introspecting on why that case is still pending?"
