During his visit to Ayodhya, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde came under fire from Rajya Sabha Member Kapil Sibal, who said that “conspirators, opportunists, and backstabbers” cannot carry on Balasaheb Thackeray’s legacy. Shinde, the chief minister since June of last year and the head of the Shiv Sena, paid his first visit to Ayodhya on Sunday. Thousands of Shiv Sainiks joined him to the shrine town in Uttar Pradesh. “Shinde in Ayodhya: Lord Ram chose: Sacrifice, the way of truth, and rectitude,” said Sibal in a tweet. Balasaheb adopted such qualities as well.
The former Union minister attacked Shinde, saying, “Conspirators, opportunists, and backstabbers cannot carry forth the legacy of Balasaheb.” The chief minister of Maharashtra said on Sunday that his party and the BJP share the same ideologies and that they would raise the saffron flag across the state the next year. “Our party’s function is obvious. The BJP and the Shiv Sena are allies. We have the same philosophy, which is Hindutva. With renewed vigour from Ayodhya, we shall return to our state and assist the people. The ‘bhagva’ (saffron flag) of the Shiv Sena and the BJP would be flown across the state in 2024, he said at a news conference in Ayodhya.
Both the Maharashtra Assembly election and the Lok Sabha election are scheduled for next year. Last year, Uddhav Thackeray’s Maha Vikas Aghadi administration was overthrown by Shinde’s coup, which also fractured the Shiv Sena.