In a major attack on Maharashtra Chief Minister and rebel Sena leader Eknath Shinde, erstwhile united Shiv Sena president and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday dubbed the rebel Sena MLAs as “gaddars” (traitors) and said that after the recent rebellion within his party “the ten-headed demon king Ravana” had turned into “Rs 50 crore Ravana”, alluding to the money allegedly taken by the rebel MLAs to switch to the Sena camp.
On a day when Shinde paraded three estranged Thackerays — late Bal Thackeray’s son Jaidev, daughter-in-law Smita and grandson Nihar — at his Dussehra rally venue as his supporters, Uddhav said that Shinde had “betrayed” him after he had handed over the Chief Minister’s responsibility to him when he was hospitalised after a surgery.
For the first time in the 56-year-long history of Shiv Sena, Mumbai witnessed two Dussehra rallies in north-central Mumbai — one addressed by Uddhav at Shivaji Park at Dadar and another by Shinde at Bandra-Kurla Complex (BKC) grounds.
The two rallies were the first major showdown between the two parties ever since the rebel Shinde Sena group toppled the MVA Government led by Uddhav and formed its Government in alliance with the BJP on June 30 this year. There were large crowds in both the Dussehra rallies.
In a development that surprised the Uddhav-led Sena camp, late Bal Thackeray’s son and Uddhav’s estranged elder brother Jaidev Thackeray, his estranged sister-in-law and Jaidev’s former wife Smita Thackeray and late Balasaheb’s grandson and Uddhav’s eldest brother Bindumadhav Thackeray’s son Nihar shared stage with Shinde and pledged their support to the current Maharashtra Chief Minister.
While Jaidev was involved in a bitter legal battle with Uddhav over Bal Thackeray’s will till four year ago, Jaidev’s divorced wife Smita had moved out of Thackeray’s residence some years ago. Nihar, the lesser known Thackeray, is the son of Uddhav’s elder brother Bindumadhav who died in a road accident in 1996.
Addressing a Dussehra rally at the Shivaji Park, Uddhav came down heavily on Shinde for stabbing him in the back and dubbed the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs who switched sides after allegedly accepting a pay-off of Rs 50 crore each from the rebel Sena leader.
“We all know the ten-headed Ravana. Now we have 50 Khoka Ravans in our midst. Times have changed. As a result, even Ravan has changed (His one head is worth Rs 50 crore). When I see all this, I feel both bad and sad,” Uddhav said, while comparing the Sena MLAs who joined the Shinde camp allegedly for the sake of huge sum of money,
“When I was hospitalised for a spine surgery in November last, I handed over my responsibility to my then trusted colleague Ekanth Shinde. But, he turned out to be Kattappa. He conspired against me. He should realise that he has taken on not Uddhav Thackeray but Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray. He has joined issue with Goddess Jagadamba. Let the Goddess take care of him,” Uddhav said.
