His remarks came amid growing speculation of an imminent rebellion in the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena (UBT). The party is staring at a crisis, with "six to seven" of its nine Lok Sabha MPs inclined to switch to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and camping in Delhi, according to sources.
Sena (UBT) Rebellion Buzz: BJP Leader Accuses Uddhav of Driving His Party to Decline
Maharashtra BJP vice president Keshav Upadhye on Wednesday hinted at a possible split in the Opposition Shiv Sena (UBT), accusing its leadership of rejecting the people’s mandate and driving the party into political decline
"Regarding the reported split in UBT, only this can be said that the party is likely to face another split," Upadhye wrote in a post on X, before launching an attack on Uddhav Thackeray and his party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut.
He accused the Sena (UBT) leadership of rejecting the people's mandate and engaging in what he termed politics centered on criticism and taunts.
Upadhye claimed that Thackeray had steered the Sena (UBT) towards "appeasement of Muslims" and Raut was dragging the remaining organization in the wrong direction. The duo (Thackeray and Raut) had led the party to political decline, he added.
Referring to late Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray, Upadhye said the organization he built had grown into a strong political force, but the present leadership had weakened it through its political approach.
The BJP leader further claimed that voters had rejected the Thackeray-Raut leadership and accused them of obstructing development works through constant criticism of political opponents.
He also took a swipe at the Sena (UBT) mouthpiece (Saamana), and said the MPs, MLAs and corporators were leaving the organisation. Abusing political rivals and using intemperate language cannot bring success in politics, Upadhye said.
His remarks came against the backdrop of growing speculation that a section of Sena (UBT) MPs could break away and form a separate group.
Raut claimed late Tuesday night that an "advance of Rs 15 crore" was being given to "buy MPs from Maharashtra", further fuelling the buzz.
The speculation gained momentum when ruling Shiv Sena leader Pratap Sarnaik hinted at welcoming dissidents and giving them priority should they jump ship.
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