‘In 2019, Modi formed govt with support letter signed by Thackeray’

MUMBAI: A day after speaker Rahul Narwekar’s verdict, the Shiv Sena (UBT) led by Uddhav Thackeray has questioned the grounds of his judgement that the Shiv Sena’s amended constitution, making Thackeray party chief in 2018, was not applicable, and hence the split was the outcome of a dispute between its leaders.

The party has posted documents and photos on social media to contradict Narwekar’s verdict. It has also pointed out that prime minister Narendra Modi himself had submitted a letter of support signed by party chief Uddhav Thackeray as a constituent of the NDA while forming the government in 2019.

Narwekar’s verdict said he was considering the Shiv Sena constitution of 1999, which was the last on-record version of the party’s constitution. Raising objections to this, senior Thackeray faction leader Anil Parab on Thursday said that the party had submitted all the documents regarding the process of change in the party constitution and the election of Uddhav Thackeray as party chief to the ECI after the meeting of the party’s national executive in January 2018. “We got an acknowledgement receipt from the ECI,” he said. “Not just that, the ECI never sent any notice to the Shiv Sena regarding the 2018 constitution change issue. So how did those changes suddenly become invalid?”

Parab said they had proof regarding all this and would submit them before the Supreme Court. He also pointed out that prime minister Narendra Modi, while staking a claim to form the government after the 2019 election, had submitted letters of support from NDA constituents, including one from the Shiv Sena, which was signed by Uddhav Thackeray. “If Uddhav Thackeray had no authority as the party chief, why did the BJP leader meet him for an alliance in 2019 and announce the alliance?” asked Parab. He also questioned how CM Shinde and all the Sena MLAs fought on the party authorisation form issued by Thackeray during the 2019 assembly election and how the ECI allowed this if Thackeray had no authority.

The party’s social media team also posted photos and videos of the national executive meeting, which showed CM Shinde supporting the election of Uddhav Thackeray as party chief. The videos were shared by all leaders and party workers to spread the message that the party had completed due process while changing the constitution and electing Thackeray. “The party has around 10,000 party workers across the state who are active on social media, and they are sharing recordings to spread the truth,” said an office-bearer.

The Thackeray faction will get a copy of the speaker’s verdict by Friday and will get advocates to study it before challenging it in the Supreme Court. Parab, who reached Delhi to consult legal experts, said it would therefore take time.

Meanwhile, there were speculations that some Thackeray faction leaders had questioned why the leaders who were responsible for communication with the ECI, did not ensure that the party’s amended constitution in 2018 was taken on record by the ECI.

Parab, however, refuted the reports of difference of opinions in the party with regards to error on the part of anyone looking after the ECI-related work.

Criticism of the judgement turned into a bitter war of words between the two Shiv Sena factions. Attacking Shinde on his statement that the speaker’s verdict had defeated the “dynastic politics” of Uddhav Thackeray, MP Sanjay Raut retorted: “CM Shinde says Thackeray indulged in dynastic politics. What about MP Shrikant Shinde? Isn’t he CM Shinde’s son?”

A banner war also broke out in Mumbai and Thane between the factions. The Shinde faction put up banners outside Uddhav Thackeray’s residence ‘Matoshree’, calling CM Shinde the true successor of Bal Thackeray’s ideology. The Sena (UBT) retaliated by putting up posters in Shinde’s turf, Thane, with the message ‘Murder of democracy in daylight; now, the people will do justice’.

Fresh fight for symbol

Immediately after the Narwekar judgement, the Samata Party again claimed the ‘mashaal’ party symbol given to the Shiv Sena (UBT). “The ECI handed over the Shiv Sena party name and symbol to Eknath Shinde, and speaker Narwekar recognised his faction as the original party,” said Anil Parab. “And now the BJP has begun its dirty tricks to create more political problems for us. The Samata Party has no right to claim our party symbol.”