In his address, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde at a rally at the Bandra Kurla Complex's MMRDA ground on the occasion of Dussehra said voters in the state elected the Shiv Sena and the BJP in the 2019 Assembly elections, but Thackeray "betrayed" people by joining hands with the Congress and the NCP to form the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government.
He said that the massive crowds at Dussehra rally was proof enough to show who are true inheritors of Bal Thackeray's legacy.
Slamming Uddhav Thackeray, Shinde, who heads the rebel faction of the party, said the Shiv Sena was not a “private limited company" and maintained the 56-year-old outfit was built through hard work of common Sena workers.
The chief minister defended his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray's leadership in June that brought down the MVA government.
The Thackeray-led faction of the Shiv Sena has often targeted rebels as "traitors". The rally was attended by Jaidev Thackeray, brother of Uddhav Thackeray, and his estranged wife Smita Thackeray. Nihar Thackeray, grandson of late Bal Thackeray, also attended the rally besides Champa Singh Thapa, a long-time personal aide of the Sena founder.
