Yavatmal (Maharashtra)

Amid the political turmoil triggered by the recent rebellion within the Shiv Sena (UBT), party chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday asserted that the "true Shivsainiks" continue to stand with him, while attacking the rebel MPs who recently switched to the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Addressing party workers during his visit to Yavatmal, Thackeray said he felt "ashamed" that the rebel leaders had remained in the party for so long.

"The true Shivsainiks are with me. As for the others, you are all witnessing their behaviour. I honestly feel ashamed that they managed to remain in our company for as long as they did," Thackeray said.

His visit comes weeks after Yavatmal-Washim MP Sanjay Deshmukh was among the six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs who joined the Shinde-led Shiv Sena.

Targeting the rebel MPs, Thackeray claimed they had won the Lok Sabha elections because of his campaign and public support.

"These MPs were elected solely on my word. They now have the audacity to claim that touring their constituencies is pointless, yet they were elected precisely because of the tours I undertook on their behalf. Farmers today are denied a guaranteed Minimum Support Price, yet these worthless, upstart MPs seem to have a guaranteed position regardless," he said.

Thackeray also referred to a meeting held by the party on Friday, saying its outcome would become clear in the coming days.

Senior Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Anil Desai and Arvind Sawant accompanied Thackeray during the visit. Speaking to reporters, Arvind Sawant questioned the reasons behind the MPs' decision to leave the party.

"We had nine MPs in the Lok Sabha and two in the Rajya Sabha. What difficulty did you face that you had to quit the party? The party did no injustice to you. The media exposed that they did not utilise their MP funds. They are sellouts and corrupt. They are a blot on Maharashtra. This corruption has been started by the BJP across the country," Sawant alleged.

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Anil Desai said the people had voted for the rebel MPs because of their faith in Uddhav Thackeray's leadership.

"The people of Maharashtra know Uddhavji very well. The way he led the state during COVID-19, supported doctors, and stood by farmers during floods and crop losses remains in people's hearts. The people voted for these MPs based on Uddhavji's word," Desai said.

He said the party would reach out to voters and explain the circumstances surrounding the defections.

"We will go to the people who trusted Uddhavji's word to elect these MPs and explain how this betrayal happened. We will remind ordinary voters, farmers and workers of the power given to them by the Constitution to decide who should represent them," Desai said.

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He also cautioned against strengthening political parties through defections, saying parties should expand by earning the trust of the people rather than by inducing elected representatives to switch sides.