Mohan Bhagwat should stay alert as Eknath Shinde group may usurp RSS office: Uddhav taunts CM

Uddhav Thackeray, who heads one of the Shiv Sena factions, on Thursday said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat should stay alert as Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has an "evil eye" and he might usurp the Sangh office.

Thackeray's statement comes hours after Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis visited Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, the memorial of RSS founder Dr K B Hedgewar, in Reshimbagh area of Nagpur. The two leaders paid tributes at the memorials of Dr Hedgewar and RSS ideologue M S Golwalkar. They also met the Sangh office-bearers. On Wednesday, both Sena factions had faced off in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters in south Mumbai over the control of the party office there.

The clash led to tension for about an hour before the police intervened. Thackeray also said that those who do not have courage to build anything indulge in stealing and capturing other parties' offices. Shinde's rebellion against Thackeray's leadership in June this year led to the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government. It also led to a split in the party with Thackeray and Shinde heading each faction. While Thackeray's party is called 'Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray)', the Shinde-led camp is named 'Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena'.

They are also locked in a tussle for the parent party's poll symbol - bow and arrow. Addressing a press conference in the Vidhan Bhavan premises in Nagpur, where the winter session of the state legislature is currently underway, Thackeray said, "Yesterday, they tried to capture our BMC office in Mumbai. Today, they went to the RSS office. Since RSS is strong, they could not take possession of its office. But RSS needs to be on alert henceforth...He (Shinde) has an evil eye."

Replying to another query on Shinde's visit to the Hedgewar Smruti Mandir, he said, "Mohan Bhagwat needs to stay alert as they (Shinde group) may take possession of the RSS office." "Those who don't have the courage to build anything, steal or seize. They have an inferiority complex and then they steal others' parties, offices," he added.

Reacting to Thackeray's barbs, state BJP chief Chandrashekhar Bawankule accused him of changing colours quicker than a chameleon. He said he was saddened by Thackeray's statement on the CM, and added that the Sena leader could not "digest" Shinde's visit to Reshimbagh. Thackeray had said several times in the past that Dr Hedgewar Smruti Mandir was a place where one derives inspiration, the BJP leader said.

Also Read: Those who don't have courage to build anything indulge in stealing, capturing: Uddhav targets Maharashtra CM Shinde

"He changes colours more than a chameleon for power," Bawankule added. During his press conference Thackeray also slammed the BJP on a Karnataka minister's statement that Mumbai should be declared a Union Territory. "BJP's plot to break Mumbai and turn it into a Union Territory has been revealed by its minister," he said, while reiterating his demand for a review petition in the Supreme Court for making the disputed region in Karnataka a Union Territory till the apex court decides the case. Thackeray also demanded the resignation of Governor B S Koshyari for "insulting" the icons of Maharashtra.

"How can a person who insulted Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Savitribai Phule and Mahatma Phule continue to occupy the post?" he asked. Thackeray said that no special scheme for Vidarbha was announced by the government in the ongoing winter session although the people of the region were expecting it. "The government should not just make announcements or announce a package, but tell how development schemes will be implemented in Vidarbha," he said.

Also Read: Shinde, Uddhav factions of Shiv Sena face off at BMC party office

Thackeray questioned the government on its stand over allegations of irregularities against ministers Uday Samant, Abdul Sattar and others, and sought to know if any action would be taken against them.