Uddhav-led Sena never compromises on its stand: Raut's dig amid talks of NCP (SP) joining hands with Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: In a dig at NCP (SP) amid murmurs in a section of the Sharad Pawar-led faction for merging with Ajit Pawar-led NCP, Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut has said the Uddhav Thackeray-led party never compromises on its stand but chooses to fight.

Leaders of Shiv Sena (UBT) don't own cooperative sugar factories and educational institutions that give a platform to leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party and NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar), Raut added.

He said NCP (SP) president Sharad Pawar, the party working president Supriya Sule, Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, who heads NCP, and other leaders of both factions attended a meeting of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha in Satara on Friday.

The Rayat Shikshan Sanstha is headed by Sharad Pawar.

"They (Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar) are already together. They are not like us. Our self-respecting position is not to join hands with those who broke our party, toppled our government, misused power and money and stabbed Maharashtra in the back," Raut said, referring to the split in Shiv Sena engineered by Eknath Shinde in June 2022.

He alleged the BJP propped up Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar- who had revolted against their respective parties, and hurt Maharashtra.

He said the "original" Shiv Sena, led by Uddhav Thackeray, is very clear that it has to stay away from the tendency that uses Central agencies and threatens the opposition.

"We are the ones who fight. We are not the ones who compromise.

"Some parties are more liberal and say that the decision (whether to merge or not) has to be taken after consulting party workers," the Shiv Sena (UBT) leader added.

The Rajya Sabha member, however, stressed that he has had no complaints about Sharad Pawar.

In an interview with The Indian Express earlier this week, Sharad Pawar said there are two views inside the party. One is that we reunite (with the NCP led by Ajit Pawar). The second section feels to not go directly or indirectly with the BJP. Let's join the INDIA group and reorganise the alliance.

He said his daughter and NCP (SP) working president Supriya Sule has to take a stand. She has decided to sit in the Opposition in Parliament.

Pawar had also said the meetings with Ajit Pawar were not for "rajniti" (politics). There are many institutions, including educational ones, where we work with him, the NDA, and Leftists, and we will continue to do so.

Sule on Friday said she had not spoken to either her father or the party’s Maharashtra unit chief, Jayant Patil, about the possibility of the two factions of the Nationalist Congress Party coming together.