Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackerayon Sunday asserted that the Sena led by him is the "only Shiv Sena", countering Union Home Minister Amit Shah's recent remark that the party headed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is the sole Shiv Sena.
Addressing party workers in Bhandup, part of the Mumbai North-East Lok Sabha constituency represented by Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Dina Patil, Thackeray said the undivided Shiv Sena founded by his father Bal Thackeray had spent three decades opposing the Congress but never attempted to destroy or take over the party "the way the BJP had done".
"Shiv Sena, headed by me, is the only Shiv Sena," Thackeray said.
His remarks came a day after Shah, speaking in Kolhapur, said that while the Shinde faction earlier needed to be identified separately, "now no faction remains, and there is only one Shiv Sena, which is headed by Eknath Shinde".
Thackeray also claimed that the BJP had little political relevance in its early years and that it was the undivided Shiv Sena that helped the party expand its base.
Amid speculation over dissent within Shiv Sena (UBT), Thackeray maintained that he remained unfazed and was not demoralised.
(With inputs from PTI)