Opposition Slams Fadnavis After Tension Flares During Shiv Sena (UBT)-MNS Joint March in Thane
New Delhi: Tensions prevailed in Mira-Bhayandar town of Maharashtra's Thane district where workers of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) and Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) (Shiv Sena (UBT)) held a joint march on Tuesday (July 9) in support of 'Marathi Asmita (pride)'
The MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT), which recently joined hands after their respective leaders Raj Thackeray and Uddhav Thackeray recently shared the stage after two decades, held the march as a counter event to a traders' rally held last week to protest against a sweet shop owner being slapped by MNS workers for not speaking in Marathi.
Maharashtra Minister Pratap Sarnaik who is from Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, wanted to participate in the march but was heckled as 'traitor'. He was subsequently forced to leave the spot, reported The Hindu.
While opposition parties targeted Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and the state home department, accusing them of being responsible for fuelling the issue by 'denying the democratic right to hold a rally', the Chief Minister rejected the allegations.
'The party [MNS] was asked to take a different route,' said Fadnavis.
Opposition leaders including Aaditya Thackeray from the Shiv Sena (UBT) and Supriya Sule of the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar) slammed the government, with the latter saying that the Chief Minister and the Home Department were solely responsible for the tensions during the march by the two parties.
"CM Fadnavis says he is ready to grant permission, but only if we change our rally route. That is nothing but a tactic to suppress our voice," said MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande, reported Press Trust of India.
The situation at the march became tense when police started detaining protesters, with some of them being picked up by the police while they were addressing the media.
Shiv Sena (Shinde) leader Sarnaik, who was earlier heckled by the MNS and Shiv Sena (UBT) workers, also criticised the police.
"The police's action was completely wrong. The government has not issued any such instructions to suppress a peaceful morcha in support of Marathi interests," Sarnaik told reporters.
The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Right decision will be taken at right time: Uddhav on Raj
Raj and Uddhav Thackeray MUMBAI: Even as MNS chief Raj Thackeray maintained a studied silence on an alliance with Sena UBT after their 'victory rally' earlier this month, Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday reiterated that the two cousins are together. 'Whoever has a problem with two brothers coming together should deal with it. We will fulfil Maharashtra 's dream together. The right decision will be taken at the right time,' Sena UBT chief Uddhav said in an interview with the party newspaper Saamna on Sunday, reports Priyanka Kakodkar. When asked if any talks were held on the two coming together politically, he said, 'Talks will happen. We came together after 20 years. That's not a small thing. I am ready to do whatever is necessary for the Marathi people, language, and culture of Maharashtra.' 'I can pick up the phone and call him. He can call me... If we have to meet, we will meet openly. As a result of us coming together, not only are the Marathi people our Muslim brothers are happy,' he added. On possibility of MVA alliance for elections in municipal corporations, he said, 'When we held talks, Congress said they may take decisions at local level. If that's the case, that's what we will do.' Clearing the air about his recent meeting with Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis in the state legislature, Uddhav said, 'He is the CM, and we hope he does some good. But as a former political ally, I can only advise him to put an end to the controversies surrounding his ministerial colleagues. Finally, it will affect Fadnavis's reputation.' On the controversy over imposition of Hindi in schools, he said, 'BJP is instigating divisions between different states. But our position is clear. We are not against Hindi, but we do not want it to be imposed on us.'
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
Sanjay Raut slams Maharashtra's Public Safety Bill as tool to suppress dissent
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut on Sunday (July 20, 2025) launched a blistering attack on the Devendra Fadnavis government over the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, claiming it poses a direct threat to civil liberties and democratic expression in the State. Writing in his weekly Rokhthok column in the party mouthpiece Saamana, Mr. Raut described the legislation as a tool crafted not for public safety, but to serve political and corporate interests. 'This is not a Jan Suraksha Bill, it is a BJP Suraksha Bill,' he wrote, alleging the government rushed the bill through the legislature without adequate debate. According to Mr. Raut, the Bill—passed during the recently concluded monsoon session of the Assembly—grants sweeping powers to the police and government to arrest individuals for acts deemed to disturb 'public order,' a phrase he said is deliberately vague and prone to misuse. He warned that NGOs, civil society groups, tribal activists, and those opposing large corporate projects like Gautam Adani's mining operations spread from Chandrapur to Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand forests could now be easily targeted under the new law. The Maharashtra Assembly on July 10, 2025, passed the Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill, 2024, aimed at preventing 'unlawful activities of Left Wing Extremist organisations or similar groups'. The Bill will now be tabled in the Legislative Council. 'I assure the House that we will not allow the misuse of this law. I request the House to pass this Bill unanimously,' Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who tabled the Bill. Despite opposition from the Communist Party of India (CPI) and objections by other parties, Speaker Rahul Narvekar declared that the Bill, put to vote through a voice vote, was approved by a majority. With the passage of the Bill in both Houses, Maharashtra will become the fifth State after Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Odisha to enact a public security law. The law will impose punishments ranging from two to seven years in prison for members of unlawful organisations. Offences under the Act will be cognisable and non-bailable in nature, and grant the government the authority to seize and forfeit funds belonging to such groups. Mr. Raut further criticised the government's intent behind the bill, saying it is aimed at silencing protests in areas such as Dharavi, where residents have been resisting redevelopment and displacement. 'The Dharavi Rehabilitation Project is the world's biggest land scam. The original residents will be uprooted from their rightful place and the leaders who are fighting for their rights will be labelled as 'Urban Naxalites' and imprisoned under the act. If people cannot protest peacefully against injustice, what remains of democracy?' the column said. Highlighting the double standards of the ruling coalition, Raut questioned why the government was turning a blind eye to hate speeches and violent acts by right-wing elements, while seeking to criminalise dissent from marginalised communities and activists. He also accused the government of using the bill as a pretext to consolidate power before the upcoming civic elections, particularly in Mumbai. 'The law is being used to intimidate those who dare speak against the regime or its business allies,' he claimed. 'Such laws attack the soul of democracy. If this bill becomes law, it will be a dark day for Maharashtra,' he added.
Time of India
6 hours ago
- Time of India
Mahayuti meets in Nashik to discuss strategy for civic polls
Nashik: In a bid to strengthen coordination ahead of the upcoming local body elections, the city unit chiefs of the BJP, Shiv Sena, and NCP, key parties of the Mahayuti alliance, met on Saturday at the NCP's Rashtrawadi Bhawan. The meeting focused on strategies for the municipal polls, including the possibility of contesting jointly or independently. The meeting was attended by BJP city unit chief Sunil Kedar, NCP's Ranjan Thakre, and Shiv Sena's Praveen Tidme. "We unanimously decided to ensure we take to the masses the works done by the state and central govt so that people understand the benefit of the Mahayuti being in power. We want the Mahayuti to prevail in Nashik city as well. We all will be working towards the same," said Kedar. Shiv Sena's Tidme echoed the sentiment, emphasizing development as the shared objective. "The state is functioning under the leadership of CM Devendra Fadnavis, Dy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar. Since the goal was the development of the city, we have decided to strengthen coordination at the local levels and strengthen the Mahayuti and contest the elections united," he said. However, the decision on whether to contest the polls jointly or separately has been left to the state leadership. "There is no second thought that the state leadership decision will be followed in totality. All three parties are therefore working on both possibilities," Kedar added. The formation of the committee comes amid intensified outreach by the BJP and Shiv Sena to woo workers from Shiv Sena (UBT), with the NCP seen trailing in such efforts. In the previous civic polls, BJP won 65 seats, the then-united Shiv Sena secured 35, and the NCP managed six. A significant number of former Shiv Sena corporators have since joined the Shinde-led Sena or the BJP.
