Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], June 19 (ANI): Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday took an indirect jibe at the ongoing “Operation Tiger” buzz within the Shiv Sena (UBT), stressing that current events are merely the “trailer” and that the “full picture” is yet to come.
Speaking at the 60th foundation day of the Shiv Sena, Shinde launched a sharp attack on Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray. He stated that those who abandoned Balasaheb Thackeray’s principles for the “sake of power” have suffered, accusing Uddhav of troubling the party founder during his lifetime while honouring the very people he opposed after his demise.
“The Shiv Sena is an ideology; it is not just a political party, it is like a saffron cloud. Those who forgot the saffron ideology suffered losses. You forgot Balasaheb’s ideology for the sake of a chair. When he was alive, you troubled him; but even after he passed away, you are honouring the very people he hated. Is this your legacy? The Shiv Sena started 60 years ago. All my MPs and MLAs are precious. Everyone is looking toward us, wondering what Eknath Shinde will say and who will come onto the stage. This is just the trailer; the full picture is yet to come,” Shinde said.
Dark clouds began to gather over the Shiv Sena (UBT) as six of the nine party Lok Sabha MPs did not attend a meeting called in New Delhi. Their absence fueled speculation about them joining the Shiv Sena and the National Democratic Alliance.
The development comes amidst rumours of another potential split within the Shiv Sena (UBT), which is being called “Operation Tiger”. Speculation intensified when six of the nine Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, including Nagesh Aashtikar, Sanjay Deshmukh, Sanjay Jadhav, Sanjay Dina Patil, Omprakash Rajenimbalkar, and Bhausaheb Wakchaure, remained absent despite a party whip.
Conversely, Arvind Sawant, Anil Desai, Rajabhau Waje, and Sanjay Raut attended the party’s parliamentary meeting.
Focusing on the party’s origins, Shinde asserted that the Shiv Sena was formed to champion Marathi pride (Marathi Asmita) and to support farmers, women (Ladki Bahin), and the Varkari community.
The Deputy Chief Minister also praised the efforts of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. Shinde described PM Modi as a “transparent leader,” noting that his achievements belong to the entire nation. He further stated that if Balasaheb Thackeray were alive, he would have congratulated Amit Shah for the 2019 abrogation of Article 370.
“Our Shiv Sena began for Marathi Asmita. It was formed to care for farmers, our sisters, and Varkaris. PM Modi has achieved the feat of being a transparent leader. What he has accomplished for Hindus and for all was Balasaheb’s dream. We pray to Goddess Jagdamba to strengthen Modi’s vision of working for 140 crore Indians. Amit Shah removed Article 370 and eradicated Naxalism. If Balasaheb were alive, he would have congratulated both of them,” he added.
The Shiv Sena was founded on June 19, 1966, by renowned cartoonist Balasaheb Thackeray, initially with an agenda to advocate for the rights of the Marathi people, or Marathi Manus. By the 1990s, to expand his political reach, Thackeray became known as “Hindu Hriday Samrat” as he promoted a Hindutva identity on the national stage.
While the Shiv Sena remained a power centre in Maharashtra after Thackeray’s passing in 2012, political dynamics shifted following the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections. Balasaheb’s son, Uddhav Thackeray, allied with the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP)–traditionally considered rivals–to become Chief Minister, breaking ties with the party’s long-term ally, the BJP.
In 2022, Eknath Shinde, along with a large number of MLAs, rebelled against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership, leading to a major split. Subsequent political and legal battles resulted in the Election Commission of India recognising the Shinde faction as the official Shiv Sena and allotting it the party’s traditional ‘bow and arrow’ symbol, while the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction became known as Shiv Sena (UBT). (ANI)
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