Mumbai, March 1 Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut's purported statement labelling the ruling Shiv Sena as fake and a 'chor mandali' (gang of thieves) sparked a fresh row in the Maharashtra Assembly on Wednesday.
Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Ashish Shelar jumped up to slam Raut and termed his statement as a 'betrayal' of Maharashtra, while Leader of Opposition, Nationalist Congress Party's Ajit Pawar termed Raut's outburst as 'wrong'.
Amid a huge ruckus on both sides, the House was adjourned for around 10 minutes this morning.
Currently on a tour of Kolhapur for the 'Shivgarjana' and 'ShivSamvad' initiatives, at one point, Raut hit out at the rival faction, allegedly saying that "there is a fake Shiv Sena in the legislature, it's a gang of thieves".
Referring to the manner in which the Shiv Sena of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is erasing the influence of former CM Uddhav Thackeray and his son Aditya Thackeray, Raut said that even if they are removed from any post, they will not quit the party, since the late Balasaheb Thackeray had given them many such posts and the party is supreme.
The Sena (UBT) MP also pointed out how his party made a roaring success of the 'Shivgarjana' in Dharashiv (Osmanabad) Tuesday, and now this will be repeated all over Maharashtra as the party is getting stronger.
In the past, the Sena (UBT) leaders have hurled terms like 'gaddaars' (traitors), '50 Khokhe' (slang for Rs 50 crore), 'baap-chor' (father thieves), etc., after the party split in June 2022.
Last month, the Election Commission of India (ECI) recognised the Shinde faction as the 'real' one by awarding it the 'Shiv Sena' name and 'Bow-and-Arrow' poll symbol, which the Sena (UBT) has challenged in the Supreme Court, along with other related issues.
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