Mumbai, June 24 (Agency)
Amid demands by Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena’s faction to cancel membership of several rebel MLAs, state minister Eknath Shinde, who is leading the rebellion against the party, claimed that the group led by him is the “real Shiv Sena”. He and his supporters cannot be intimidated by threats of disqualification.
Shinde, who is camping in Guwahati along with 37 Shiv Sena MLAs and 10 independents, said late on Thursday that as per the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, party whip is issued not for attending meetings, but in relation to legislative proceedings. The Thackeray-led Shiv Sena has demanded the disqualification of 12 MLAs of the Shinde camp for not attending the legislature party meeting on Wednesday. In response, Shinde tweeted, “There are many judgments of the Supreme Court in this matter. Who are you trying to scare us? We understand your game and know the law too. You cannot demand action against our 12 MLAs, because we are loyal to Balasaheb Thackeray and are the real Shiv Sena and Shiv Sainiks, but we demand action against you for forming a group despite having no numbers. ”
Eknath Shinde has been removed from the post of Shiv Sena’s Legislature Party leader in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly and Ajay Choudhary has been given the post. However, the rebel faction passed a resolution to retain Shinde as the leader of their group and appointed Shiv Sena MLA Bharat Gogavale as the chief whip of the legislature party in place of Sunil Prabhu.
