"If You (Uddhav Thackeray) Talk About Morality...": Team Shinde's Counter

The ruling Shiv Sena in Maharashtra on Friday hit back at rival camp leader Uddhav Thackeray for seeking Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's resignation post the Supreme Court ruling on the 2022 political crisis, and said if any morality is left in him, the MLAs loyal to him should quit and face fresh polls.

The Shinde-led party fielded a battery of leaders, including the CM's son, at a news conference, held a day after the Supreme Court verdict, and attacked the Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).

The Shiv Sena asked wasn't breaking the pre-poll alliance under which Thackeray sought votes along with the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP), and then went with the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and the Congress in 2019, a betrayal of the people of the state.

Shrikant Shinde, the Lok Sabha MP from Kalyan near Mumbai and son of Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, alleged Thackeray was trying to mislead people so that those left with his faction do not desert and join the ruling Shiv Sena.

Shrikant Shinde asserted the 11-month-old Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra is “legitimate and formed as per constitutional norms and the Supreme Court has given its stamp” on it.

The Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT) has described the Shiv Sena-BJP government, formed in June 2022 after the collapse of the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) administration, as "unconstitutional and illegal" and demanded that CM Shinde and his deputy Devendra Fadnavis must resign post the apex court ruling.

The CM's son said the MLAs left in the Thackeray camp should resign and seek re-election.

“If you (Thackeray) talk about morality, then two parties (BJP and undivided Shiv Sena) jointly secured votes (as an alliance in 2019). So 14 MLAs (of the Shiv Sena-UBT) should resign on moral grounds and face people and see whether voters elect them or not,” Shrikant Shinde said.

Speaking at the presser, another Shiv Sena leader and industries minister Uday Samant said the rival camp has no authority to give lectures on morality.

“Those who do not have morality are preaching it to the world. Their double standards is that you (Thackeray) quit as chief minister on the grounds of morality and then request the court to reinstate you (Thackeray),” Samant said.

The united Shiv Sena and the BJP fought the Assembly polls together in 2019. However, the Thackeray-led Shiv Sena later joined hands with the NCP and the Congress, its ideological rivals, after its alliance with the BJP fell through over sharing the post of chief minister.

Earlier in the day, Thackeray asked the Shiv Sena-BJP government to quit office and face fresh polls.

Samant said Thackeray's attacks are aimed at keeping his flock together.

The industries minister said an attempt is being made by Thackeray to set a narrative that the Supreme Court has ruled in their favour.

Shrikant Shinde pointed out that on the contrary, the Supreme Court has rejected six of the Shiv Sena (UBT)'s prayers and accepted only two.

The SC on Thursday held it cannot restore the MVA government led by Thackeray as he resigned as CM without facing a floor test in June last year though it passed critical remarks against then-Governor B S Koshyari in context of the political crisis triggered by a rebellion in the Shiv Sena.

It asked the Assembly Speaker to decide on the disqualification of 16 MLAs of the Shinde camp within a "reasonable period".

The court also observed the Speaker's decision to appoint MLA Bharat Gogawale of the Shinde faction as the whip of the Shiv Sena in the Assembly was contrary to law.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)