Shrikant Shinde, the child of Maharashtra Boss Priest Eknath Shinde, discussed the Hanuman Chalisa in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday while pummeling Uddhav Thackeray and the Shiv Sena.
VIDEO | Shiv Sena MP @DrSEShinde recites 'Hanuman Chalisa' during no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha.
#NoConfidenceMotion (Source: Third Party) pic.twitter.com/QHCuucUEX5
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 8, 2023
Shinde, who is an MP from Kalyan, started his discourse by saying that he was recounting the Hanuman Chalisa to “reinforce his confidence” and to “look for endowments for individuals in Maharashtra.” He then proceeded to go after Thackeray and the Shiv Sena, blaming them for selling out Hindutva and the tradition of Bal Thackeray. Shinde said that the Shiv Sena had deserted its Hindutva roots when it joined the Maha Vikas Aghadi government with the NCP and the Congress. He said that the Thackeray-led government had failed to help the Hindus of Maharashtra and that it had even prevented individuals from presenting the Hanuman Chalisa.
Shinde similarly faulted Thackeray for being a “slight and dubious” trailblazer. He said that Thackeray had not had the option to control the Shiv Sena MLAs and that he had been constrained to leave as a manager cleric. Shinde’s talk was met with mixed reactions in the Lok Sabha. A couple of MPs supported him, while others laughed at him. The Speaker of the Lok Sabha, Om Birla, mentioned that Shinde should avoid making individual attacks. Shinde’s talk means significant divisions inside the Shiv Sena. As of now, the party is divided between the Shinde bunch, which is agreed with the BJP, and the Thackeray bunch, which is still accountable for the party’s headquarters in Mumbai.
It is not yet clear how the Shiv Sena will actually want to accommodate these divisions. Notwithstanding, Shinde’s discourse in the Lok Sabha is an obvious sign that the party is currently in a state of transition.
