‘Uddhav Thackeray is sitting in the lap of Congress…’, what is the meaning of Amit Shah’s statement?

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Saturday that now there is no other faction of Shiv Sena, there is only one Shiv Sena, that of Eknath Shinde. Amit Shah held a thanksgiving rally in Kolhapur on Saturday and took a dig at Uddhav Thackeray. He said that earlier we had to call it Eknath Shinde group but now there is no group.

Amit Shah offered prayers at Mata Ambabai Temple in Kolhapur and laid the foundation for modernization and beautification of the temple complex. He said that the Maharashtra government is doing the renovation and corridor construction work of Mata Ambabai temple.

Also read: 6 decades of Shiv Sena, two factions, from Shinde to Uddhav, what was lost and what was gained?

Amit Shah, Union Home Minister:-
Earlier we had to call Shiv Sena Shinde faction, but now there is no faction. There is only one Shiv Sena.

This statement of Amit Shah has come amid the ongoing rebellion and uproar in Shiv Sena (UBT). First Eknath Shinde broke the party, now there has been a rift in the 2024 victory which Uddhav Thackeray was excited about. Out of the 9 winning MPs, 6 MPs have started a rebellion.

Is Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena finished?

A large number of MPs from Uddhav Thackeray’s faction are going to Shinde faction under ‘Operation Tiger’. Shiv Sena (UBT) has now issued show cause notices to the absent MPs. Party’s Chief Whip in Lok Sabha Anil Desai has sought a written reply within 24 hours.

If Shiv Sena MPs do not respond, the party will assume that they have given up their membership voluntarily and action will be taken under the anti-defection law. In the parliamentary party meeting held in Delhi on Thursday, only 3 out of total 9 Lok Sabha MPs of the party arrived, while 6 MPs remained missing.

Also read: How can Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs escape the anti-defection law?

Why are there allegations of sitting in the lap of Congress?

Amit Shah, Union Home Minister:-
Congress leader and Congress leader Uddhav wants to preserve his power by making infiltrators a vote bank. I want to tell them that India is not a hospice. Under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, every aspect of India’s security is being ensured.

After the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly elections, Uddhav Thackeray’s politics shifted from Hindutva to secular. When Bal Thackeray founded the party, it was a party of Hindutva and anti-Congress ideology. For the first time in 2019, Shiv Sena broke the pre-poll alliance with BJP and formed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government with Congress and NCP.

People of BJP and Shinde faction consider this a betrayal of Bal Thackeray’s legacy and a sacrifice of principles for the sake of power. Shiv Sena had been fighting against Congress for decades. These allegations are now being made due to Uddhav Thackeray’s long alliance with Congress, cooperation in INDIA block and aggressive statements against Modi government.