On June 21, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) conducted a search on the homes of close associates of former chief minister and Shiv Sena faction leader Uddhav Thackeray, including Sanjay Raut, a member of that party’s Rajya Sabha delegation, and his son Aaditya. Sanjeev Jaiswal, a bureaucrat who is known to be connected to Thackeray, was also the target of a raid. A day after Maharashtra Chief Minister and Thackeray foe Eknath Shinde ordered an inquiry into the suspected fraud, the searches in relation to the claimed Rs 100 crore Covid facility scandal were carried out. The allegations were made public by BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.
A Mumbai court summoned Thackeray and Raut two days ago for defaming Shinde and his aides via the Marathi weekly Saamana, the official publication of the Shiv Sena, now led by the Thackeray faction.
These incidents, which occurred shortly after both Shiv Sena sections led by Thackeray and Shinde celebrated the party’s founding day on June 19 and vehemently condemned one another at separate events, highlight the two leaders’ growing animosity towards one another. Shinde, a minister in Thackeray’s cabinet and the leader of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration in Maharashtra at the time, revolted and left the Shiv Sena in June of last year along with 40 of the party’s 57 MLAs and a sizable number of its MPs. Shinde had led the rebels to Surat, Assam, and Goa with assistance from the BJP. After overthrowing the Thackeray administration, Shinde was sworn in as chief minister and appointed BJP member Devendra Fadnavis as his deputy.
The conflict has now intensified and grown to monster dimensions. Shinde and his group of adherents have been referred to by the Thackeray side as “gaddar” (betraiers), and a “Gaddar Diwas” has even been observed. Thackeray has been describing to audiences in all of his public addresses the purported “monetary gains” that Shinde and his battalion allegedly earned for switching sides. In addition, Thackeray has been berating the BJP for splintering the Shiv Sena, the organisation his late father, Balasaheb Thackeray, established.
The party name and emblem that were assigned to Balasaheb Thackeray’s faction by the Election Commission of India have been usurped by Shinde and his followers. Shiv Sainiks are currently battling on the streets of Maharashtra for control of the party shakhas, which are situated in upscale neighbourhoods. In a recent instance, the Shinde-aligned faction changed the locks on the offices of a group of Shivaji Nagar shakha office holders in Thane, locking them out. In a middle-class neighbourhood, this resulted in street fights.
Another episode was the arrest of two Thackeray faction members who the Shinde faction claimed had stolen money and important party records from the Dombivli shakha. They had filed a cross-complaint against the Shinde gang and spent a day in police jail.
Shinde and Thackeray both assert that there are fans who will switch allegiances. Sources claim that Shinde’s employment of ED against the Thackerays is the most recent development in their dispute. Thackeray has been charged with awarding contracts for the massive Covid Centre to individuals without the necessary skills or knowledge, which led to a rise in Covid-19-related fatalities. It might be claimed that during the time Thackeray governed Maharashtra, multiple surveys done by TV news stations and other private organisations named him the finest chief minister.
But Somaiya has been going after Thackeray, his family, and the clan of his wife, accusing them of corruption and submitting complaints against them to different government authorities. Several government agents have searched the homes of Rashmi Thackeray’s relatives. She is Uddhav’s wife.
In an effort to put further pressure on Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde has also been meeting with Raj Thackeray, the leader of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Thackeray’s estranged cousin. Both parties will now share the Marathi voter base, which has historically supported the Shiv Sena. “Getting Raj Thackeray to any side is easy as he is not much of an ideology-holding leader,” said Netra Patel, a Shiv Sena historian. According to Patel, “The Shiv Sena itself has undergone ideological changes.”
In an effort to win them on to his side, Shinde has also been meeting with top Thackeray faction leaders and veterans. When spokesman and MLC Manisha Kayande switched to the Shinde side recently, he was able to cause a significant defection from the Thackeray group. The CM has been attending frequent meetings in Worli, Aaditya Thackeray’s district. Aaditya’s close associates have joined the Shinde gang in large numbers.
As the conflict enters its second year, Shinde now has the upper hand since the government has intervened.
