Don’t dare eye Sena Bhavan, Saamana, Matoshree: Sena warns rebels

Acknowledging a split in the Shiv Sena, the saffron party on Tuesday warned the rebel breakaway group against claiming the Shiv Sena Bhavan, Saamana or Matoshree.

“Yes..some people have left for sure, they have formed a group…that’s a breakaway group,” Shiv Sena chief spokesperson Sanjay Raut told reporters in New Delhi.

“Whether it is Shiv Sena Bhavan, Saamana, Matoshree…they should not even think of looking at it,” he said.

“We will fight it out…whether it is the party or its symbol…they must remember Shiv Sena was founded by Balasaheb Thackeray… from the statements I hear, one day they would say Balasaheb never founded Shiv Sena,” he said.

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According to him, the cadres are with Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray, the former Maharashtra Chief Minister, who headed the Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress Maha Vikas Aghadi government.

Raut’s statement comes a day after rebel Shiv Sena faction leader and Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced a new national executive declaring him as the “mukhya neta” or the chief leader.

Asked about Shinde’s visit to New Delhi, Raut said that Shinde was a CM of the BJP and hence he needed to visit the national capital. “Earlier also Shiv Sena had CMs - Manohar Joshi and Narayan Rane - but I do not recall them visiting Delhi for government formation or ministry expansion,” he said.

Raut said that the Shiv Sena had seen splits earlier too but it resurrected itself.

He alleged that the BJP has planned to divide Maharashtra into three parts and hence they are engaged in splitting the Shiv Sena. “This is being said by BJP leaders themselves…but that would never happen,” he said.

“Police, central agencies, money, blackmailing is being used to split Shiv Sena,” he said, adding that huge security cover has been provided to the MLAs and MPs who are switching sides.