Amid bitter war-of-words between the two warring Shiv Sena factions, Uddhav Thackeray on Friday made it clear that he would not allow the ‘bow and arrow’ party symbols to be claimed by Eknath Shinde-led rebel group, which joined hands with BJP to form government in Maharashtra.
"Let me tell you ...no one can snatch away the 'bow and arrow' symbol of Shiv Sena," Thackeray said in a hurriedly-convened news conference at Matoshree, his Bandra bungalow - days after his government was toppled by Shinde with the help of BJP.
The former Chief Minister, who headed the Maha Vikas Aghadi government, however, did not take any questions.
Thackeray, the son of Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray said he had already held consultations in this regard with legal and Constitutional experts.
"Let us be very clear....a political party and the legislature party are different (entities)," he said, adding, "Whether one MLA leaves or 40 MLAs, the party, the organisation remains….the ‘bow and arrow’ cannot be stolen.”
“This is not the first time that the Shiv Sena faced such a rebellion. MLAs come and go, but the party's existence does not end…those who have become big because of Shiv Sena have left, but those who make Shiv Sena big are still with us,” he said, adding that the response that the Shiv Sena is getting since the rebellion is overwhelming.
Thackeray's response comes after some leaders of the Shinde camp said that they would claim the original party symbol.
Thackeray also dared rebels to face midterm elections."We are ready to face elections. They should also be willing to face elections and get re-elected (on their own strength),” he said.
Referring to the pending Supreme Court verdict, he said: “The Supreme Court's 11 July verdict will decide the future of Indian democracy and not just that of Shiv Sena.”