Kishore Tiwari removed as Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson

NAGPUR: In a move signalling internal discord within the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), Vidarbha-based leader and farmer rights’ advocate Kishore Tiwari has been removed as the party spokesperson.

The decision was communicated to Tiwari, former chairman of the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM), on Wednesday night, shortly after his interview with a Marathi news channel.

In the interview, Tiwari, who joined Shiv Sena (UBT) in 2019 after leaving the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), accused senior leaders Sanjay Raut, Vinayak Raut, Arvind Sawant, and Milind Narvekar, Uddhav Thackeray’s personal assistant, of weakening the party by favouring undeserving politicians in exchange of monetary gains. They had virtually taken control of Shiv Sena (UBT), forcing several senior leaders to leave the party in recent times, Tiwari alleged.

Within half an hour of the telecast of the interview, Vinayak Raut issued an official letter announcing Tiwari’s immediate removal as party spokesman. The letter, signed by Raut in his capacity as Sena (UBT) secretary and leader, stated that the directive came from party chief Uddhav Thackeray. No specific reasons were mentioned in the letter for Tiwari’s removal.

On Thursday morning, the Vidarbha-based leader told reporters that he learned about his removal from media reports.

“If Shiv Sena (UBT) is a democratic party, I would expect at least a show-cause notice before such action,” he remarked.

Criticising Sanjay Raut and his associates for running the party in an authoritarian manner and side-lining experienced leaders like Subhash Desai, Diwakar Raote and Anil Desai, he said, “Instead of strengthening the party, the Raut gang is weakening it.”

Tiwari said he would now focus on social work, particularly advocating for farmers in Vidarbha, where suicides due to agrarian distress continue unabated.