Fissures within the Shiv Sena’s top leadership emerged after senior Sena leader and former Minister Ramdas Kadam on Friday accused his party colleagues Anil Parab and Uday Samant of trying to finish off the party by colluding with the Sharad Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Mr. Kadam urged Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to take note of the ‘conspiracy’ while charging Mr. Parab, the State Transport Minister, of attempting to finish him off politically.
At the same time, Mr. Kadam, on being asked whether he intended joining the BJP, said he is a staunch Shiv Sainik and would never quit the party.
“Anil Parab has no time for protesting staffers of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation but he was stationed in Ratnagiri for three days to drive me and my son out of politics…A meeting was held here and all loyal office-bearers were expelled. I think Mr. Thackeray has no idea about what is happening,” he said.
This is the first time that a major schism has openly emerged within the Sena. The infighting between three top leaders of the Konkan region does not augur well for the party as the area is one of the Shiv Sena’s few spheres of influence in Maharashtra other than Mumbai city.
Earlier this week, the Sena announced new office-bearers for the Ratnagiri district.
The supporters of Mr. Kadam and his son, Dapoli MLA Yogesh Kadam, were shown the door and fresh faces were inducted.
“Speaking out against Anil Parab does not mean taking an anti-Shiv Sena stance...Parab and Uday Samant were made Ministers to strengthen the Sena and not to finish off senior party leaders, who have given their sweat and blood to the party,” said a disgruntled Mr. Kadam.
Mr. Parab refused to comment on the accusations.
Tensions between Mr. Kadam and Mr. Parab, considered a close confidante of Mr. Thackeray, have been brewing for the last several months ever since Mr. Kadam was dropped from the Cabinet.
In October this year, Mr. Kadam landed in a soup when a local Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Vaibhav Khedekar and former NCP MLA Sanjay Kadam (both are from Dapoli in Ratnagiri) released a series of audio clips purporting that the Shiv Sena leader had allegedly furnished ‘proof’ of irregularities against Mr. Parab to BJP leader Kirit Somaiya with the help of an RTI activist.
Mr. Kadam had denounced the audio clips as ‘doctored’ and said he would move the court against those who had attempted to defame him.
