After forming government in alliance with Congress and NCP, Shiv Sena faced first major jolt today after senior leaders left the party to join MNS. On Saturday Aurangabad leader Suhas Dashrathe joined Raj Thackeray led Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) along with two other leaders – Prakash Mahajan, Harshvardhan Jadhav.
Suhas Dashrathe is a veteran Shiv Sena leader who has spent 38 years in the party. Prakash Mahajan is a brother of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan, while Harshvardhan Jadhav is a former MLA. The Shiv Sena leaders left the party just ahead of Municipal Corporation Election in Aurangabad, which is scheduled for April this year. Sena is heading the Corporation at present for many years.
The move came after MNS tilted towards Hindutva after that space was vacated by Shiv Sena in Maharashtra. Harshvardhan Jadhav said that the cause of Hindutva taken up by Raj Thackeray appealed to him. “I will definitely work to expand the party’s base (in Aurangabad). We will definitely win the Aurangabad Municipal Corporation,” Jadhav said.
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Prakash Mahajan said that Raj Thackeray is the only leader who will be able to take up the cause of Hindutva after Bal Thackeray. “Raj Thackeray will emerge as the iconic leader of Hindutva in the time to come and Hindutva needs him,” Mahajan said.
In the meanwhile, MNS stepped up its attack on Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray challenging him to fulfil his commitment of deporting illegal immigrants. They put up posters outside Thackeray’s resident Matoshri, which said, “Honourable Chief Minister, if your stance is that Pakistani and Bangladeshi infiltrators must be thrown out of the country, then first clear the neighbourhoods in your Bandra backyard that are brimming with infiltrators.”
On 23rd January, on Bal Thackrey’s birth anniversary, MNS chief Raj Thackrey had revealed the decision to change the flag to Shivaji Maharaj’s Raj Mudra or the royal seal was the original idea for the flag. He is certainly leaving no opportunity in his attempt to get a makeover of his party, after announcing his support for the Modi Government over CAA and the proposed NRC. His party workers put posters up in Panvel, Navi Mumbai, warning illegal migrants, especially Bangladeshis to leave India or be driven out ‘MNS-Style‘.
