BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday for allegedly sacrificing his ideology for power by aligning with the Congress.
Dubey reminded Thackeray of his father Bal Thackeray's oath never to ally with Congress after an incident in 1969.
He referenced a written response in Lok Sabha from 1969 concerning the day Bal Thackeray fired a licensed revolver into the air to prevent an attack by a mob on 26 September that year. Dubey said, “Shiv Sena Uddhav, have some shame. Balasaheb Thackeray ji and the conspiracy to assassinate him were hatched in 1969; questions were raised in Parliament to cancel his revolver license. After learning of the conspiracy, Balasaheb Thackeray ji took an oath that he would never align with Congress in his lifetime. For the sake of power, ideology has been sacrificed.”
On that day, Bal Thackeray was returning home from Dadar when a taxi overtook him, prompting an argument with the cab driver. The disagreement escalated as a mob gathered, leading Thackeray to fire into the air in self-defence.
The BJP has repeatedly criticised Shiv Sena (UBT) for its alliance with Congress, despite their differing ideologies. The Shiv Sena split in 2022 occurred amid such tensions when Eknath Shinde, dissatisfied with Uddhav Thackeray's partnership with Congress, rebelled, causing the collapse of the Uddhav-led Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
Following this, Eknath Shinde became Maharashtra Chief Minister with BJP support. A subsequent legal dispute over the Shiv Sena name concluded with Shinde's faction recognised as the real Shiv Sena, while Uddhav Thackeray's faction was designated Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray).