advertisement
Amid a tussle with the rebel faction led by Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde over the Shiv Sena's poll symbol, party president Uddhav Thackeray on Friday, 8 July, stated that the 'bow and arrow' symbol would remain with the original party.
Addressing a press conference on Friday, Thackeray said the change of guard in the state could have been done with grace and in a dignified manner in 2019, and not as it was carried out last week with "betrayal."
Thackeray also hit out at the rebel Shiv Sena MLAs for not speaking up when the BJP targeted and "abused" him and his family over the last two-and-a-half years.
"You keep in touch with them and betray your own party like this," Thackeray said without naming Shinde.
On Friday, Thackeray moved the Supreme Court challenging Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari's decision to invite Shinde to form the government in the state.
The governor's order on 28 June came hours after BJP leaders, including former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, met Koshyari and urged to ask the Thackeray-led government to prove its majority in the Assembly, claiming that the Shiv Sena-Nationalist Congress Party-Congress alliance was in minority.
The top court will hear the plea of the Thackeray-led faction on 11 July. The apex court is also scheduled to give its decision on a petition seeking disqualification of 16 rebel Shiv Sena MLAs.
Thackeray said he had consulted constitutional experts, who told him that there could be a split in the legislature party, but the original party stood the same and could be assumed to have been brought to an end.
Thackeray also said he would take a decision on which candidate to support for the presidential election after consulting with the party MPs.
(With inputs from PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)
Published: undefined