Maharashtra political crisis: Udhhav Thackeray accuses BJP of trying to finish off Shiv Sena

Maharashtra: Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, who is struggling to hold following a revolt by Eknath Shinde, on Friday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to "finish off" the Shiv Sena as they don't want to share the Hindu vote bank with anyone.

"Shiv Sena is an ideology... BJP wants to finish it off because they don't want to share the Hindu vote bank with anyone," he said in a virtual address to the party workers.

He said that his own people have backstabbed the party, at a time when NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Congress president Sonia Gandhi have backed the Shiv Sena.

"We gave these rebels tickets to contest assembly elections despite many of you being aspirants for the same. These people are disgruntled after getting elected owing to your hard work, and you are standing by the party at this crucial time. I can't thank you enough," Thackeray, who is also the Shiv Sena president, told party workers.

"If a Shiv Sena worker is going to become a chief minister, you should go (with the BJP). But if you are, after all, going to become a deputy chief minister, you should have told me, I would have made you deputy chief minister," he said, apparently referring to Shinde.

If Sena workers felt that he was incapable of running the party, he was ready to resign as party president, Thackeray further said.

The rebel group has no option but to join the BJP, and even if it succeeded in forming the government, it will not last long because many MLAs among them are not really happy, he said.

The rebels will not be able to win the next election, Thackeray claimed.

Hitting out at Shinde and BJP, he dared them to try and lure away the Shiv Sena's voters.

"Those who want to leave are free to go openly.... I will create a new Shiv Sena, Thackeray added.

He also revealed that he had warned rebel party leader Eknath Shinde months ago to beware of any alignment with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as it follows the policy of 'use and throw.'

Mr. Thackeray also dared the rebel MLAs to survive politically without the name of late Bal Thackeray and his party.