In a fiery session at the Lok Sabha, Shiv Sena (Eknath faction) MP Shrikant Shinde on Tuesday (August 8) launched a scathing attack on the Uddhav Thackeray faction for straying from Hindutva principles and Bal Thackeray's ideology. Shinde's fervent critique came as the party opposed a no-confidence motion against the Modi government.
Shinde, who represents Kalyan in the Lok Sabha and is the son of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, did not mince words as he questioned the party's alliance with the opposition bloc and recited the Hanuman Chalisa during his speech.
Shinde lambasted the Shiv Sena's (UBT) partnership with Congress, claiming it betrayed the core values set forth by Bal Thackeray. "They did not care about Balasaheb's ideology, Hindutva ideology. They sold the Hindutva ideology and stepped away from Balasaheb's ideology," Shinde declared, referencing the party's shift in alliances after the 2019 elections. He further criticised the party for forming alliances with parties that had differing views on key issues, such as the Samajwadi Party.
Amidst his speech, Shinde recited portions of the 'Hanuman Chalisa', a sacred Hindu hymn, emphasising his stand on Hindutva.
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Shinde also took aim at the Opposition, ridiculing their rebranding from UPA (United Progressive Alliance) to "I.N.D.I.A." He suggested that the change in name was an attempt to distance themselves from the controversies and scandals associated with the UPA's history. He accused the Opposition of lacking a unified leader or coherent policy, referring to them as a team without a captain.
"They changed the name of UPA to INDIA. They think people will support them.... They have changed the name because UPA reminds people of scams, corruption, terror attacks, and remote control governments. They have all gathered against one person. They have no leader or policy. Every leader here wants to be the prime minister because this team has no captain," he said.