"There is nothing ‘asli’ or ‘nakli’ in the Shiv Sena, the party belongs to late Balasaheb Thackeray," Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut said amid reports dubbing the two factions—parent Shiv Sena and real Shiv Sena.
“Look, there is nothing like ‘asli’ or ‘nakli’ in Shiv Sena. Balasaheb Shiv Sena is the Shiv Sena. Balasaheb Thackeray founded the Shiv Sena. Uddhav Thackeray is the 'paksha-pramukh' (President),” Raut said, targeting Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who had declared himself as the “mukhya neta” or chief leader of the national executive.
Raut said that over the past few days what has been said and happened are all hollow claims. “Tomorrow, they will say that they brought Balasaheb into the Shiv Sena, that they had made Uddhav Thackeray the 'paksha-pramukh',” Raut told reporters in New Delhi.
About claims by the Shinde-faction that they are inspired by late Balasaheb Thackeray and late ‘Dharmaveer’ Anand Dighe, Raut claimed that the breakaway group is inspired by the BJP. “All these talks of Hindutva and natural alliance is just a cover for them to join hands with the BJP (by breaking the Maha Vikas Aghadi),” he said.
Raut also pointed out that after the meeting between, the then BJP president and now Home Minister, Amit Shah and Thackeray in February 2019, in the post-meeting press conference, BJP’s then Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had clearly spoken of a 50:50 power-sharing ratio.
“Where were these people (rebels) in 2014 when the alliance (between Shiv Sena and BJP) broke (before the Assembly polls)? They are now speaking of a natural alliance. Where were these people when Thackeray and his family were regularly being targeted (by BJP),” he demanded to know.