Uddhav Thackeray takes dig at Shinde's Shiv Sena, says bear the fruits of your karma

Mumbai, Nov 20 Uddhav Thackeray's Shiv Sena on Thursday targeted the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena amid reports of growing discontent between the Shinde camp and the BJP.

The party, in its mouthpiece 'Saamana', said the BJP "neither takes the trouble to 'please' you nor fears your 'displeasure'," implying the Shinde faction has little leverage or respect within the alliance. It told the Shinde faction to "bear the fruits of your karma", framing their current predicament as a consequence of their 2022 defection from the original Shiv Sena.

The editorial alleged that the BJP is systematically working to weaken allied parties, including the Shinde group, and that the "dissatisfaction within the Shinde camp is now out in the open".

This followed reports that Eknath Shinde's ministers had boycotted a state cabinet meeting, reportedly due to unhappiness over seat-sharing and the BJP's aggressive induction of local leaders.

“Shinde faction that speaks of 'We are upset' in Mumbai and goes to Delhi to wash Amit Shah's feet -- on Tuesday supposedly had an outburst of discontent and boycotted the cabinet meeting. Do these people really have the courage to boycott Chief Minister Fadnavis's cabinet?" asked the Thackeray camp.

Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena said that Shinde's party members are being poached by the BJP. "In the ongoing local body elections in the state, the BJP is conducting 'Operation Lotus' and undermining even their allies. Of course, what's new in that? BJP's politics has been going on like this for decades. Still, these poaching tremors must have affected the Shinde faction more. From that anxiety, another failed attempt at a discontent drama must have been enacted."

According to the editorial, Dy CM Shinde has performed such "acts of discontent drama" before. "Sometimes sulking and going to his farm in Satara, sometimes going to Delhi and crying to Modi-Shah," it said.

“But the extent of its impact on the BJP is evident from the ongoing poaching in various places by BJP members. Still, at Tuesday's cabinet meeting, the Shinde faction tried this new experiment of discontent drama. After the cabinet meeting, Shinde's disgruntled ministers met the Chief Minister and burst noiseless fireworks, saying the BJP is not maintaining alliance dharma. The Chief Minister apparently disarmed them right there with his signature 'Fadnavis smile' and showed the Shinde faction a mirror of the poaching they had done. Only those two know the truth, but later, BJP's Chandrashekhar Bawankule made a special 'BJP-style' clarification. 'BJP-style' means first embrace someone, then slowly cut that same throat, and pretend from above that you did nothing," it remarked.

The Thackeray camp said in its mouthpiece that the Chief Minister himself says on one hand that Mahayuti is unbreakable, and on the other hand creates a 'division', saying alliance decisions will be made at the local level. While speaking at party meetings, he offers the nectar of advice to office-bearers, saying, 'Remember that allies are our own,' and when the same office-bearers poach allies, he turns a blind eye. “Now, after Tuesday's discontent too, CM lectured the Shinde faction and sent them off with an understanding in words like 'What has happened, has happened, from here on, leaders of parties in Mahayuti will not join each other's parties.' Again, this clarification was given not by the Chief Minister but by BJP Minister Bawankule. Why did he give it? That's not the question, but through this, BJP's multi-faced character came to the fore once again,” it alleged.

Targeting the Shinde faction, the Thackeray camp asked, “Do those who stabbed their own mother in the back and went to others' manipulation for power have the moral right to protest against poaching or express anger over discontent?” It further said, “You have lost that right yourself, and the BJP knows this very well. That's why they first break alliances and then perform the drama of applying balm, saying 'This much now, no more ahead'.”

Stepping up the attack on the Shinde faction, the Thackeray camp said in the editorial, "The bluster of 'not from here on' that the BJP has shown is of the same old tradition, and where else do Shinde and his cronies have any other option anyway? ...So, there's no point in them complaining in the name of 'Operation Lotus'. You have willingly trapped yourself in the invisible net under the 'lotus' water. That net will slowly strangle you, and the 'lotus' on the water will keep swaying majestically. When the BJP divided you, you joyfully split yourself out of lust for power. Now, when the BJP is breaking your faction too, what's the point of protesting? The dust of your discontent is colourless, and each time this dust rises, it settles down just the same. It doesn't get into the BJP's eyes at all,” it taunted.

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