Shiv Sena (UBT) Saamana Calls Speaker's Ruling a "Trampling of Constitution" in Faction Split Case

The Shiv Sena (UBT) faction led by Uddhav Thackeray launched a scathing attack on Maharashtra Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) following his decision to recognize Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's group as the "real" Shiv Sena.

In a fiery editorial published in its mouthpiece, Saamana, the Sena (UBT) accused Narwekar of trampling upon the Constitution and siding with a gang of thieves in his Wednesday ruling. The piece claimed the decision was pre-meditated and orchestrated by Shinde's bosses in Delhi, a veiled reference to the BJP leadership.

The people of Maharashtra will not forgive those behind this, the editorial declared, taking aim at both Shinde and the BJP. Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut echoed this sentiment at a press conference, stating that Narwekar had failed to do justice and instead acted as Shinde's lawyer.

In a big political win for Shinde, Narwekar on Wednesday held that the Shiv Sena faction led by him was the “real political party” when rival groups emerged in June 2022, and did not disqualify any MLA from the two camps.

Targeting Narwekar, the editorial in Saamana claimed, The Constitution has been trampled upon by recognising the gang of thieves. The speaker’s order was pre-decided, it further claimed, adding that there was nothing to be shocked about it. The lengthy decision by him was written by his bosses in Delhi,” the Marathi daily said.

It alleged that the speaker’s decision to hand over Bal Thackeray’s Shiv Sena to traitors amounts to indulging in dishonesty with Maharashtra. Narwekar had a chance to create history, but he gave a decision that has “blackened” the face of democracy, the editorial said.